Blind
by The Water Drinker
Summary: A seemingly random attack leaves Hiei near fatally wounded. He manages to crawl his way to the human world, but recovery seems unlikely. That is, until he is found by someone quite peculiar.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a stupid mistake.

As I favored my right side, I dragged my leg along the ground, clutching at my stomach in an effort to keep the majority of my insides just that, inside. Every step I took, every limp I managed, felt like a torturous eternity. I could feel blood streaming out of every gaping wound.

A very stupid mistake.

I let out a strained grunt when my leg hit some rocks and rubble along the forest floor of Makai. I couldn't contain the growl that came soon after. I must look pitiful. How the hell had I gotten myself into this?

Thinking back on it was an annoying, tedious chore, but I did so anyway. Perhaps to punish myself for my foolishness.

I had been on a patrol. I had done nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to instigate the gratuitous attack on my person. Though, I suppose, those mindless cretins simply adored reminding me of how much they despised me. A humorless chuckle escaped my bloodied, torn lips despite the immediate pain it brought with the first mere rumble.

I couldn't very well blame them for the slight. How could I, when I felt the same for them?

I instilled a fear in them that ran deep. Deep enough to turn sour, as it churned in their minds until they could do nothing but loathe.

But that was fine. Let them fear me. They should. No one will find mercy at the end of my blade.

I stopped a moment in my trek to look down at my beaten body. Gingerly, I moved the arm away from my torso, deliberately slow. Blood leaked freely from an open gash across my middle. It was torn into my flesh in thick, jagged lines. My arm shook from the pain. Pathetic really.

I pressed it back over the wound before I moved forward.

Attacking in a horde was already a coward's tactic, and when they had flanked me from the shadows, even more so. A pitiful attempt at a sneak attack. Like _I_ couldn't see. It was laughable.

What I hadn't accounted for, however, was when they had used a human as a shield. A last ditch effort to dissuade me from killing them immediately. And it had worked.

It wasn't any form of compassion that had kept my attack at bay. I simply hadn't wanted to deal with the consequences. Besides, I'd rather die by the hands of those heathens before I allowed that fool _Koenma_ to attempt to confine me to another human city. Nor did I much care for Enki's opinion on the matter. Let _them_ squabble over the punishment for the death of a human. I wanted no part of it.

Pain shot through me like a strike of lightning when a root snagged my foot and caused me to stumble. I bent over, near to heaving. I moved the arm that was wrapped around my stomach to place onto my knees on reflex. The sudden shift had me nearly fainting. I let out a pained groan through gritted teeth that I refused to open. I wouldn't dare allow myself to whine. I forced a gust of air through flared nostrils. It came out shaky.

I was getting soft.

The thought was annoying. Fuck Yusuke and his speeches, Kuwabara and his idiotic idealism, Kurama and his _humanity_.

Little good their 'friendship' has done me, near dead as I am.

I should have just killed the fools _and_ that human when I'd had the chance. Consequences be damned. Fuck Koenma and Enki... and _humans._

I forced myself upright, and managed to keep myself moving. Or rather, I forced my body to move. If it didn't obey me then I would make it bleed.

I needed to get somewhere safe. Somewhere I could heal. The first thought that came to my mind was Kurama. I growled. The rumble made my chest ache.

Kurama was in the human world, humoring that human woman he called his mother. It was a long walk, but I was never one to complain.

I was vaguely aware of the passage of time. Although, I wasn't sure how long I had been walking. The only way I knew I had made it through the barrier into the human world was because I was able to breathe without the stench of death filling my lungs. The smell of the trees was the only thing this pitiful realm had going for it.

Something as simple as an uneven patch of earth was enough to cause my weakened legs to finally give out from under me. I fell to the ground in a bloody heap of torn fabric and grime.

How pathetic was I, that the minor fall was enough to knock the wind out of my chest? I heaved on the ground, but I could get no air.

I tried to move, but it seemed as though my body had finally reached its limit.

I lay there motionless. I was too tired to waste what little energy I had left on fruitless attempts to get back up.

Carefully, I angled my head to look down at my injuries. I was bleeding from several puncture wounds in my flesh that riddled my legs and arms. Useless limbs. If my body couldn't survive something like this, then I deserved to die.

My only regret is that I had to do so in the damn _human_ world, of all places.

I allowed my head to rest back against the patchy grass and dirt, as I laid myself out on my back. It felt heavy, like lead.

How long I had lain there, I couldn't say. The sun's rays tried to find me through the trees, but their foliage blocked them, shadows swaying. The trees stood tall, like silent watchdogs. The only witnesses to my slow demise.

That is, until I heard a faint sound. It sounded like a gasp.

With what little control I had over my body, I tensed. I heard hesitant footsteps coming closer to me, and I rolled onto my side so I could better see my potential assailant. I readied myself. If they were foolish enough to get close, then I would take them out right along with me. But when I saw it, my tension lessened.

It was a _human_. A woman. I could sense her feeble energy flickering in distress. Disgusting.

I let out a feral growl. Hopefully that would be enough to scare it away. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with a damn human before I died. I'd had enough of them already.

She stopped moving, but didn't run away. My eyes were beginning to fail me. I could only see a mere hazy silhouette of her form.

"Is someone there?" A soft voice called out.

I wanted to tell her to go the hell away, but I could do little more than groan.

The silhouette began to move forward once more. Closer and closer, until I felt the dirt shift near me. The next growl I had on my tongue faded into a groan when the stupid woman walked _into_ me. Her feet colliding with my injured diaphragm.

When I heard another gasp, I inwardly sneered.

 _She_ was the one gasping like a fish out of water? _I_ was the one who'd just gotten kicked.

She slowly lowered herself to her knees, feeling around with arms outstretched. They groped me, but I could do little to stop it. I let out a weak growl. It sounded pathetic to my ears.

The next sound that came from her sounded strained. Like a gasp or a grunt. I screwed my eyes up tightly when her hand pressed into the large gash on my torso, gnashing my teeth together so hard I heard the grind.

What the hell was with this stupid human woman? Fumbling around as if in the dark.

"You're hurt," she said.

I growled again. Bared my teeth. I felt my eyes dilate in my irritation. However, none of this seemed to faze her. She just continued to feel my wounded skin.

"Very badly." Her voice was so soft. It was as if she spoke any louder, she might break. I quickly decided I hated it.

I managed to lift my head up enough to glare at her face. Though as soon as I did, my attention was caught by her eyes.

Up close I could see them. They were pointed in my direction, but they saw nothing, shrouded as they were with a dull, cloudy gray. I watched them move, left to right, but they could not focus.

This woman was blind.

This revelation momentarily shocked me. Though after a moment, I recollected myself to glare.

"Hold on," she said, as she stood up carefully. I watched her turn around and slowly meander through the dense trees. Before long, I was alone once more.

I idly entertained the thought of what her reaction would be if I died before she returned. It humored me, if only for a moment.

It didn't take her long to return, however, and once she did, I noticed she was carrying a bucket in her arms. The way I heard it slosh sounded like water.

Was she going to try to clean my wounds? How... quaint.

She lowered herself next to me, and fumbled around until her hands found their way back to my worst injury. She pressed cloth to the wound.

"Can you put pressure on it?"

I made no effort to reply. The idea of a human saving my life was enough to make me want to vomit. A feeble human woman no less.

I had to give her some credit, at least. How she had managed not to get lost in a forest with her weakness was worthy of some small amount of praise.

When I showed no ability to be able to do as she asked, she moved forward, applying the necessary pressure with her knees. It was painful, but I didn't bother to move.

She lifted her hands to search for the bucket she had placed by her side, and dipped another piece of cloth in it. She then started to clean the cuts and punctures on my arms.

"You poor thing. Who did this to you?"

I scoffed at the sentiment. It sounded contrived and disgusting to my ears. If she was going to annoy me with her presence, she didn't have to torture me with her words too.

Her hands stiffened against me. I could feel them go tense. After a moment, she continued to slowly wipe at the blood on my arms.

"I guess you didn't like that."

I eyed her. She wasn't anything particularly noteworthy. Her long, black hair fell over her shoulders in straight strands. Bangs fell messy into her eyes, but I suppose that hardly mattered.

Her skin was horribly pale. It looked white against the blue fabric she was wearing.

When she finished with my arms, she slowly felt her way to my torso. She dabbed carefully at my chest.

"I don't blame you. I don't like it either."

My gaze narrowed. I stayed silent; not bothering with another growl or groan.

She didn't berate me for my silence, and seemed content with her one-sided conversation. It was when she moved her knees to get to my fatal wound that I let in a more strained breath.

"This one hurts the most," she muttered, more to herself it seemed.

She first cleaned it, then reached into the front layers of her robe to pull out a small jar. I watched her screw off the cap with apprehension. She then lowered her hands to me. I felt her palm slide against my skin until it found its target. When she moved her other hand, one which she had smeared whatever it was that was in that jar across her fingers, I flinched away from her.

"Please, you'll only make it worse for yourself." When I yet again moved away from her hand, I heard her sigh. "If you could suffer through the pain you had when you got yourself these injuries from whatever foolish thing you did, then you can deal with the pain it'll take to heal them." Her voice had lost some of its brittle softness to be replaced with a more forced, mild irritation.

I bristled at the comment, but I could not shake the small pang of... defeated embarrassment that rose up inside me. The next time she moved her hand to my wound, I didn't shy away. I felt irritatingly resigned to my fate. ...Annoying human woman.

When she did swipe at my deep gashes, I inhaled sharply. My eyes widened, and I gnashed my teeth together to distract myself. It stung worse than a swarm of several thousand hornets. I imagine if I had been stung by nothing short of a _million_ of them, it would probably feel something akin to this.

Was she _trying_ to kill me? Because if she was, she could have just left me in the dirt. It would have been a far more merciful death.

"It's a... potent ointment," she said, as if I had spoken my thoughts aloud. Though I guess I didn't actually need to speak for my discomfort to be largely apparent, considering the way my body jerked.

It took a long time for the sting to subside, or maybe I had just adjusted to it. She was in the process of bandaging my wound when I was finally able to focus my vision from seeing double.

"Could you lift up just a bit? I need to wrap this or it'll get infected."

I made no move to do such a thing. I had gone through plenty enough of her torture to satisfy her.

She let out another sigh. "Fine," she said, wedging the roll of bandages between my body and the ground. "But if I come back, and find that it's infected, you best not complain when I use that ointment again."

That certainly got my attention. When she went to wrap the bandages around my stomach a second time, I lifted my side off the ground enough to allow her to do it easily.

I saw her smile, and it made my eye twitch involuntarily. "Wise decision," she said in amusement.

It didn't take her very long with my forced cooperation. After she was finished, she sat back. "That's all I can do for you for now."

Thank anything holy for that small miracle. I'd had just about enough of her 'help.'

"But I'll come back to check on you-"

And I let out a long, drawn-out, raspy groan.

She laughed heartily, clearly not offended at all by my dread. The sound was as dainty and feminine as she looked.

She tried to look at my face, but her gaze missed me entirely. "Try not to move around too much. You might tear the bandages."

I let out a dismissive humph before I rolled gingerly onto my back. Whether or not I did so in a small display of rebellion, I wasn't entirely sure. I decided it was because I just preferred this position to lying on my side. Doing so out of defiance was childish and beneath me.

I didn't bother to see whether or not she noticed. I closed my eyes and allowed my exhaustion to take over. I quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

AN:

So like, I was kind of hesitant to write this at first. Mostly because I'm trying to tackle a pretty big writing project already. This one, though, I wanted to make a little shorter.

Interestingly enough, even with my initial reluctance, this story was super fun to write. Once I started, I just rolled with it. It splattered all over my word document like it just owned the page. Maybe I just like writing Hiei, I dunno. Haha.

But yeah, this story is going to be my second attempt at a story in the first person. However, it is going to be entirely Hiei's POV. I decided to give that a try. I like it so far. What about you guys?

Reviews are absolutely adored.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the support for this story so far! I present thee, chapter 2. :D**

* * *

The next I awoke, it was to the gentle caress of a light breeze. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind was soothing, and I faintly heard a chirping somewhere far overhead.

My eyes opened slowly, and I inhaled the scent of vegetation and dirt greedily with a deep breath. I let out a tired groan with my exhale. The sky above me looked far too blue. The treetops far too green. It all stung my eyes with its color, and forced me to squint.

I was still in the human world, that much was for certain, lying on my back in the dirt. Nothing in Makai would be so lively. It seemed as though I hadn't succumbed to my injuries. How fortunate for me.

I lifted an arm to my face with more difficulty than I would have liked to admit. Stark white bandages were wrapped sloppily around it. Shoddy work at best.

With a grunt from the ache, I carefully pulled myself up to sit. One of the first things I noticed was that I was in a much better condition than I had been in previously. Though I was still far from being completely healed. My wounds still felt fresh, and when I shifted uncomfortably, I felt an ooze.

"Tch. If I can't heal quicker from something so minor, then I need more training," I muttered at my battered skin. I flexed my arm, and grimaced at the spark of pain it caused me.

It was then that I noticed I was missing something. My cloak was not on my person. I briefly scanned the area, but the article of clothing was nowhere to be found. I scoffed. I could live without it.

A short gasp alerted me to the presence of another. I turned sharply to the noise, baring my teeth as I gave a feral hiss.

I must be getting too complacent if I can't even sense the energy of another.

But when I caught sight of the intruder, the tension left me.

It was just a human. No wonder I couldn't sense such weak energy. As I stared, though, I recognized it.

"You're awake," I heard a feminine voice say.

It was the woman from before. The one who couldn't see. I eyed her suspiciously, and noticed she had something folded over her arms. It was my cloak.

I didn't speak. Just stared. I watched as she finally moved from her spot, meandering slowly through the plants and dead leaves.

"I know you are. I can hear you," she spoke again, but I remained silent.

As she got closer to me, she slowed her pace to a cautious shuffling of feet. She had minimal trouble finding me, surprisingly enough. I watched as every time I drew breath, her feet would adjust accordingly, then she would re-position herself in my direction.

Once close enough, she reached out, arm outstretched. When her hand got too close to me, I growled low.

She recoiled, and stood motionless where she stopped.

It was after a few quiet moments that she spoke again. "Your wounds need to be re-dressed. I haven't tended to them since early this morning." I eyed her suspiciously.

Since early this morning? That made me wonder, how long had I been out? It had been midday when I had stumbled into the human world before.

"You've been sleeping for a little over a day," she said, as if hearing my thoughts. "I didn't want to risk moving you with your injuries, so I let you rest here. I made sure nothing bothered you." She chuckled lightly. "You were starting to acquire quite a few admirers from the local wildlife."

I let out a dismissive huff. I was hardly impressed.

She looked a touch deflated when I did not share in her amusement. She fiddled idly with the black material draped across her arm. Hesitantly, as if she were dealing with an easily startled animal, she extended the arm that held my cloak, holding it out for me to take. "I washed this for you. I could tell it had a lot of blood on it."

I made no move to take it from her. After a long moment, she moved the arm back to herself.

The silence that fell over us stretched on for a long while. She seemed to consider her options before she spoke again. "I'm sorry my salve hurt you, but I didn't have much choice. Your injuries are pretty severe." I glared at her. I didn't need to be reminded of what I already knew.

She took a hesitant step forward, and my injured body tensed at the action. "Will you allow me to treat you now? I mean you no harm."

I scoffed.

"No," was my terse reply. My voice came out much more deep and raspy than normal. It must have been an effect of prolonged disuse.

The woman recoiled again, but this time with a shocked gasp. It seemed as if she hadn't expected me to speak.

"B-but... your wounds... They could get infected-"

"I don't need your _help_ , woman," I spat.

She stood there, staring at me with unseeing eyes. She recovered from her shock to level me with an impassive expression. "If you don't need any help, then why are you still on the ground?"

My eyes narrowed dangerously at her. Regardless of if she couldn't see it. "What's it to you?" I practically growled.

"If you didn't need any help, you would have gotten up by now." Her voice steeled. "If you don't need it, prove it," she said evenly. Her matter-of-fact tone irritated me.

What she trying to do? Bait me?

"I don't have to prove anything to the likes of you."

She didn't flinch at the cold bite behind my words. If anything, she just became more resolute. "If you can stand up on your own, I will gladly leave you alone and never come back." Her words came out as impassive as her face.

My teeth gritted together in a snarl. How dare she challenge me. The audacity. Though if doing something as simple as standing would rid me of her presence, then it was something I would do.

"Fine," I said evenly.

The woman looked a touch perturbed by my response, as if she hadn't expected me to comply. _Hah._ If she had thought this would scare me into submission, then she was far more daft than she seemed. And my expectations weren't all that high to begin with.

I placed my right palm flat against the earth. I rested my other on my knee, and braced myself.

With all the strength I could muster, I pushed myself off the ground. My legs barely withstood my weight, and it took a moment for me to get a hold on my balance before I felt convinced that I could stay standing.

"You really shouldn't do this. Your body surely can't take the abuse," I heard the woman say.

I sneered, and let out a snide scoff at her words.

She didn't look pleased by it. "I just want to help you," she said with unease.

I ignored her, and focused on the task at hand. I still had yet to stand up straight.

For a moment, I felt triumphant. I had even allowed a smirk to take over my lips. I had stayed standing without falling over for several minutes now. Perhaps my body wasn't as useless as I first thought.

That is, until I tried to straighten my body.

In the very instant that I did, I was assaulted by a wave of nausea so potent, that the world spun before my eyes. Something on my stomach tore, and the surge of pain that shot through my body was enough to make me double over and heave. It felt as if someone, or some _thing,_ was ripping out my intestines from the inside.

My whole body shuddered and shook. It caused me to fall to my knees. My elbows hit the ground, and I hung my head in between them, pressing my forehead into the dirt. My teeth were clenched so hard I thought they might break.

The woman was quick to rush to my side. She reached out to find me, and placed her hand on my shoulder when she did. "Are you all right?!" I heard urgent concern in her tone, but it only infuriated me.

" _Don't touch me!_ " I snarled at her. I didn't need anyone's pity, _or_ their misplaced concern.

She flinched horribly, and quickly moved away from me. But her fear didn't last for long, as her expression turned resolute. She replaced her hands on me, carefully sliding them along my side. The next sound to leave me was deep and guttural. A warning. One which she did not heed.

"Pride will only be your undoing," she muttered.

The words angered me. She knew _nothing_.

"And ignorance and naivete will be _yours,_ " I spat venomously. I flexed a clawed hand, and reached out to grab one of her wrists none too gently.

She didn't react at first. She sat there with her hand in mine. Though eventually, she slowly placed her other hand on top of my own, and began to rub her thumb against my coiled fingers. Perhaps to try to persuade me to ease my grip. But I did not.

"Maybe," she began. I tried to quell the pain in my abdomen enough to lift my head up off the ground. It didn't work. "But it doesn't have to be today." She pressed her thumb into the overly tensed muscle in my hand, and made a swirling motion. It eased an ache I hadn't even realized I had until it was gone. My grip slackened. Any amount of relief from pain was enough to placate me at the moment. "For either of us," she finished.

When she rested her hands back on my torso, I didn't fight her. I just wanted the pain to stop. For just a moment, at least.

Her hands found their way to the injury on my stomach. I noticed her grimace. "You reopened your worst wound."

I let out an agitated, pained grunt at her comment. "You challenged me."

She pressed her hands harshly into my reopened gashes. "And you were stupid enough to do it." Her fingers felt like knives to my torn flesh.

Had anyone heard the sound I had made at that moment and said it had sounded like a whimper, I would have slit their throat.

After that bout of cruelty, she became more gentle, as she began to gingerly unwrap the bandages. They came away bloody.

"I need you to lie on your back. I can't get to it with you as you are," she said.

I wanted nothing more than to curl in on myself, but I wasn't a weakling like that. I fell over onto my side, then rolled onto my back. I let out a harsh pant after the deed was done.

She worked silently. I stayed as quiet as I could as she cleaned the wound.

"You need stitches," she suddenly said, and with evident irritation. I grimaced. "But I can't do that. Not with my eyes." She began to wrap my abdomen with fresh bandages. She tapped me on the side, a wordless request for me to accommodate for the space she would need to do so. I did so grudgingly. "So I would appreciate it if you didn't try to do anything crazy again after the bleeding finally stops. Unless, of course, you just _love_ the sight of your own entrails."

I humphed. Her glibness did her very little credit.

Once she finished, she moved her hands away. I closed my eyes and forced my breathing to even, breathing harsh and slow through my nose. The ragged, open-mouthed breaths hurt too much.

I stopped paying attention to the human entirely once the throbbing in my stomach lessened. A relief that I accepted graciously.

I could have fallen asleep. I was on the brink of it, lingering on the precipice between unconsciousness and reality.

At least until I felt cool, smooth hands on my upper right arm. I didn't pay it any mind at first. It was a nuisance that I grudgingly tolerated for lack of a way to cease its insistence.

But as I felt diligent, skilled fingers knead the muscle under them, I cracked open an eye to assess my unwanted caretaker.

She didn't speak. She simply looked focused on her task.

I would have told her to stop, but when her massaging evened out a rather tight knot, the relief I got from it was near about palpable.

The years of stress that arm has been through—from years of training in different sword techniques, to my choosing it to be the catalyst for the black dragon—started to melt away. And when her fingers traveled to my forearm, it felt as if I had received a new arm entirely.

In all my years of existence, I had never felt something quite like this. No, I had never felt _anything_ that came close to this.

"I noticed before that you were very tense," she mumbled as if she had grown accustomed to the quiet, and speaking any louder would be deafening. "I thought it might help."

It certainly didn't _not_ help, but I wasn't about to admit to such aloud.

When she moved her hands away from me, I let out a sigh that held a yearning within. It had been just about involuntary.

She chuckled. "I could massage your other arm, if you'd like."

After my grunt of acquiescence to the offer, we came to some kind of brittle, unspoken agreement.

...For better, or for worse.

* * *

AN:

Originally, I was going to update this story on Saturday, but decided to update it a bit early. This chapter is a little short, but the next chapters will get longer and such. Let me know what you guys think of the story so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay, chapter three. Let's just jump right in, shall we?**

* * *

The following day of my forced resignation to my current situation had been largely uneventful. I had hardly talked to the woman who had taken it upon herself to look after me, and she had stayed mostly silent during the times she had come by to check on my wounds. Our conversations had not progressed much further than a curt refusal of her aid from me, and an irritated expression from her.

It wasn't from any lack of effort on her part in trying to speak with me, because she had tried. I had mostly just ignored her.

I had preferred it this way—the silence. I'd felt resigned to stay until I was sufficiently healed enough to leave, but that did not mean that I'd had to actually humor her with pointless conversation.

Needless to say, I also hadn't allowed her to touch me.

I was already doing as she asked. I hadn't attempted anything since the standing incident before. I'd figured that would be enough to satisfy us both.

But eventually, as days passed, I couldn't ignore the festering of my injuries.

Those days had passed by slowly, and my wounds—much to my chagrin—were healing even slower.

It had taken a great deal of effort on my part to convince myself that I couldn't keep going like this. It was only prolonging my stay in the human world. Something that I was very much opposed to. I had grudgingly come to terms with the idea that I would need to... _ask_... for her help.

It was a hard idea to swallow at first, though I knew I had little choice. Not if I didn't want to stay here for a damn _lifetime._

It was only after I had accepted my fate, and finally worked up the will to ask, that things became more... noteworthy. More eventful.

And by that I mean, I had quickly begun to realize that this woman, even with her debilitating blindness, was the devil. A spitting incarnation.

I had determined this on the day of when I had finally allowed her to change the bandages. They had begun to become sullied by dingy, dark patches of dirt and dried blood.

 _"Woman,"_ I had said.

She had just arrived, and had had an expression of apprehension and pitifully veiled concern on her pale face. She had no doubt been wondering when my wounds would become too much for me. It had made me want to laugh. Like _I_ couldn't have healed on my own at that point. I simply hadn't wanted to stay here any longer than I had to.

I had lifted an arm to stare down at the bandages wrapped around it.

 _"Change these."_

Now, I am not in the slightest bit religious. Religion is a human construct. One in which, like every other mundane human practice, I do not partake in. However, I dare say I am beginning to believe.

...At least as far as where _her_ role in it is concerned.

" _Damn it_ , woman! If you wanted to cut off my limbs, you could have just as easily used a knife. At least it would have been quick. Tie those any tighter, and my arm _will_ fall off."

"Oh hush. They need to be tight. I told you before, you _need_ stitches. The pressure will stop the bleeding."

"Only because there will be no blood to bleed when I lose all circulation."

Her head snapped up, and I could see the snarl on her lips. "Well maybe if you hadn't waited for so long, I wouldn't need to tie them so tight!"

I snarled right back. "Maybe I waited because I knew I'd have to deal with _this_."

She looked ready to strangle something with the way a visible vein appeared on her temple. But that was fine. Let her try.

She didn't act on her frustration, and focused instead on starting on the bandages around my torso. The sight was horrid, and the smell was even worse. I was glad for it when she began to dab carefully at the injury with some rags and the bucket at her side.

"I'm not going to use the salve for now, but I definitely will tomorrow. Your wound is probably infected, judging by the smell. But since you're in pain, I guess I can just change the bandages for now," she said with that touch of irritation tainting her tone, as she began to wrap it with new bandages.

I didn't reply. Not until she pulled a bit too tightly on one end of the linen rolls. I growled at her. "It pains me to lift my arms, but if I knew you were going to cause me so much regardless, I would have just dealt with it and changed the bandages myself."

I saw the vein come back.

"For someone who was so quiet before, and could stand so much, you certainly whine an awful lot," she said to me.

"For such a weak and meddling nag, you certainly have no problems inflicting pain."

" _Oh_ , you!"

I couldn't stop the startled yelp that escaped me when she forcefully tugged on the end of the bandages around my middle.

If she, at that moment, had told me she was a demon, I would have easily believed it.

* * *

As more days passed, I was beginning to grow restless and irritable. I was sick of the ground and the way I was bound to it. I wanted, no, I _needed_ to get out of this insufferable human forest.

But most of all, I needed to get away from _her_. I could tolerate no more of this woman and her sloppily done, suffocating bandages, or her hornet's venom of an ointment, or her _constant presence._

She walked around the woods like a ghost, tapping away at the trees with a sound so eerie it gave even _me_ nightmares.

Though, I suppose, I had a more logical reasoning for associating _her_ with nightmares.

My injuries were nowhere near healed, but I surmised that I had recovered enough to be able to escape my unbearable host.

She came to me, like she always did, in the morning. It seemed very routine, and I imagine that she probably always walked these woods in the mornings even prior to my intrusion. The only thing that had me confused was how she managed to keep track of the time.

I had asked her about it once. Not because I cared. More out of curiosity, as I had never before met someone with her affliction. No one I'd be willing to ask, anyway. Yomi being a very special exception. Any other demon with blindness would have long since perished before they'd even reached adolescence.

Her answer had been… surprisingly enlightening.

She had told me, _"The birds sing wonderful songs in the morning. Midday, the rays of sun feel warmer. At night, I listen for the crickets' chirps, and the absence of light feels cold."_

It had led me to the conclusion that she did see. She simply saw with her body, and not her eyes.

Her answer had encouraged a small level of respect in me, as I could not possibly ever fathom what it would be like to be sightless. I relied so much on the ability. To take it from me would be as effective as killing me.

And I must say, I'd rather be killed.

That was, of course, before she had continued to say, _"I also have an alarm clock."_

...Stupid human woman.

"I'm here to change the bandages again." Her voice carried over a breeze. I turned to her with a glare that went unnoticed. She held a bucket of water in her small hands along with some rags. I was beginning to hate that bucket and everything it implied. "I noticed your injuries are healing much quicker than I thought was possible. I doubt I'll have to use the salve too much more."

She walked carefully over to me, and I maintained my glare the entire way. She knelt by my side soon after.

"Would you like me to start on your arms today?" she asked, sounding casual. I huffed indignantly.

"No."

She looked confused by my curt refusal. "No?"

"That is what I said."

Her expression changed from confused to annoyed. "But why?"

"I don't need it."

From annoyed, she looked surprised. "You don't?" She was certainly a very expressive person. But I guess, since she couldn't actually see expression, it probably hardly mattered to her how hers looked, or how often she did so.

"No."

She pulled away from me slightly, looking awkward and unsure. "What are you going to do then?"

"I'm leaving."

"But! You couldn't even hardly stand just five days ago. Your injuries are most definitely not healed enough for that!"

I smirked at that. " _Hah_! Watch me."

If I had been of a weaker sort, the dull, soulless, deadly grimace I received for my comment might have actually scared me.

"You need to be able to stand up before you can leave." Her tone remained even, but I could tell she was far less than pleased.

"I'm well aware." Even though I said this with stout conviction, I felt somewhat anxious. I had only just recently been able to sit up relatively straight without feeling the want to keel over and _die_. I did not much care for a repeat of the last experience.

This time, however, I went much slower. I pushed myself off the ground to stand on unstable legs. It went smoothly enough. But this was the easy part.

Slowly, I began to straighten myself. There was pain, but it was tolerable. As I remained in the straightened position for several minutes, I felt satisfied enough with my progress to take a hesitant step. When I did so with minimal effort, I smirked. I was triumphant.

I did little to hide it when I felt a snide superiority from my accomplishment. "There, you see?" I asked.

I heard her scoff. "No, I don't _see_ anything. I haven't for the twenty-one years I've been alive."

I wasn't one to feel guilt. So I didn't.

"...hmph."

Damn it.

She let out a sigh. "Well, I guess that's it then," she said, pausing a moment with a look on her face that I couldn't read. It looked caught somewhere between reluctance and resignation. After a time, she continued. "...Good luck. Just try not to get yourself injured like this again in the future." She didn't move from her position on the ground where she had knelt before.

I didn't spare her another glance as I turned around to face one of the large trees in this forest. I stared at it. There was a deep yearning, an instinctual need to jump. I could feel it in every muscle, every bone.

I braced myself, bending my legs to get more momentum from a standing jump. Then, I soared. I heard a faint gasp from below.

For a fraction of a second, I felt free. But something immediately went wrong. I aimed too high. Upon landing on my chosen branch, a surge of nausea caused my injured legs to give out from under me. The injury on my stomach likewise did not take it too well when it went from being pulled by gravity, to weightless, to being jarred when my feet hit the branch. And all in under a second. To say it felt unpleasant was a vast understatement.

To add insult to my literal injury, I hit my head on the branch below with an audible thunk during my inevitable fall.

Since most of my spirit energy was focused on helping my wounds to heal—ones that would have been fatal otherwise—there was nothing to cushion the blow. I near about fainted when I hit the ground.

I heard the woman gasp in horror as she scrambled to get to my side.

"What in the world did you just do? Did you fall? That sounded awful," she asked in a rush.

I could offer little more than a pitiful groan as a reply.

She managed to pull me up to lean against the tree I had fallen from. "How did you manage that? Did you... did you jump? I know I heard something, but I didn't know... how did you do that?" she asked me in wonder.

I couldn't really respond to her even if I had wanted to, dazed as I was. I felt my eyes slowly start to close of their own accord. I was horribly tired all of a sudden.

It didn't help my weariness when I felt a smooth hand gently rest upon my cheek. "What did you hit when you fell?" Her voice was gentle and soothing. It made me feel... somewhat peaceful.

It coaxed a response from me, almost as if I'd be charmed. "Head..." I managed wearily.

"You mean that loud thud was the sound of your head?"

I merely groaned in response. She was too loud all of a sudden, and I was so close to sleep.

When the hand on my cheek moved away, I almost felt saddened by the loss.

Though I didn't have to wait very long for it to return, because return it did, and fast. The force in which it hit my cheek was enough to cause my head to jerk to the side.

It was then my boggled mind finally registered it as a slap.

She slapped me. Actually _slapped_ me.

My eyes flew open, and I snarled at her in barely restrained rage.

"What the hell was that you stupid woman?!"

"You could have given yourself a concussion you arrogant fool! There will be no sleeping for the possibly concussed!"

My rage deflated into mild embarrassment. I felt my eyebrow begin to twitch. She sighed in irritation, and placed her hands on my head.

"Now come here. I need to find out where you hit your head," she said to me.

I grumbled, but didn't try to fight her when she checked me. Her touch was gentle, and for that I was grateful. One of her hands found the forming lump on my head. I grimaced at the pain it brought me. She pulled away a moment to then return with a damp cloth. She dabbed at my scalp. The sensation was painful, and I was about to tell her to cut it out when I felt her other hand begin to comb through my hair.

At first it wasn't much. Just her fingers moving cautiously through the strands. She rubbed nails gently against my scalp and up through my coarse hair.

It was mesmerizing. Never before had I imagined that such a simple action could be so soothing. It was enough to nearly put me to sleep...

And then she slapped me again.

* * *

"Touch me with that poison you call a salve again woman, and I _will_ ki- _GAH!_ "

* * *

"Hana," she said one day.

My eyes were closed as I was laid out on my back, arms crossed behind my head. One of my legs was comfortably crossed over the other. I regarded her through one eye I opened slowly, taking in her seated form beside me.

"What?"

"My name, it's Hana. I don't think I ever told you."

"Hn."

"What's yours?"

"..."

"..."

* * *

It was very early in the morning. Early enough for the sun to only just start to break through the trunks of the trees. I had woken up early from resting in the damp grass, something I had been doing a lot of lately.

Sleeping in the dirt wasn't foreign to me, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. I knew that if I didn't want to keep sleeping on the ground for weeks to come, then I'd need to step up the healing process.

So instead of going back to sleep, I decided to put myself through some physical therapy.

I began stretching at first. If I was going to attempt running or jumping, I knew I'd have to make sure I was capable of it. The past few days had only seen to minimal progress.

I had only just started on my arms when I heard movement from behind me.

I didn't turn around, but I didn't have to. A familiar sound of the sloshing of water and careful footsteps alerted me to what it was, or who rather. The blind woman approached me carefully, but I ignored her in favor of stretching my right arm across my chest. When I felt satisfied, I moved on to the other arm.

I heard her place the bucket on the ground, and walk closer to me.

She stood a little ways off a moment, as I carried on to stretching my legs.

She was silent, and I could tell she was trying to assess the situation.

"Are you... doing something?" she asked in time.

I chose to continue to ignore her. Training was something I preferred to do alone. Her presence was only tolerable because she was helping me heal.

When she realized she wasn't going to get a response from me, she sighed. "You really need to work on your social skills," she commented dryly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but they're sorely absent."

I arched backwards, testing my torn abdomen. I let out a grunt when I felt a sting of pain. Doing anything with my abdominal muscles wouldn't be wise at the moment.

I heard her clear her throat from behind me, but I didn't bother to turn around.

"I don't mean to interrupt you or anything, but your injuries need to be cleaned. So," she trailed off.

I didn't respond. Instead, I began to test my ability to jump. Just simple motions, nothing quite as extreme as before.

I could practically feel the dull grimace bounce off the back of my head.

"I _know_ you can hear me."

I began to jog in place, but the bouncing was quick to become too much for the wound on my stomach, and I had to stop. I sent it an irritated glower.

"Hello?" Her question was met with silence. I had started to throw mock punches. It hurt the torn muscles in my arms. I grimaced.

After a while, I heard her let out something akin to an exasperated sigh. "You're so... frustrating." With that, I heard some shuffling. I finally looked behind myself to see she had sat down at the base of a tree. "Let me know whenever you're ready, I guess."

I let out a humph, then continued with my physical testing. Eventually, I stretched enough to start trying to walk around. Running or jogging was off limits for now. Though after a little while of doing this, I quickly realized walking was painful as well. Before long, I had to stop to rest.

After a time of silence from her, almost to the point that I nearly forgot she was there, some undeniably distracting and mind-numbingly annoying sound started up behind me. At first I tried to ignore it, going back to stretching, but when its ear-piercing shrillness attempted to carry a melody, I was quick to glare at the woman behind me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I said through gritted teeth.

The infuriating noise stopped for a moment. "I'm whistling. What are _you_ doing?" was her reply, then she continued to _whistle_.

"Stop it."

The whistling stopped again, and her face adopted an incredulous frown. "You know, it's customary to answer a question when one of yours is answered." Her whistling soon resumed.

I growled at her. She was lucky I didn't want to risk injuring myself further, otherwise I would've shut her up myself. "And you call _me_ annoying," I muttered darkly.

She stopped again to say, "I didn't say annoying, I said frustrating. But I could definitely add stubborn and rude to that list too."

I turned away from her with a scoff. "Stupid woman."

With that, I continued in my task of flexing my wounded limbs.

"And abrasive. Very abrasive."

I let out an irritated groan. I had a feeling she wouldn't stop pestering me if I didn't do as she asked. There wasn't much more I could do anyway.

I walked over to sit in front of her. "If you are so intent on my injuries being treated, then give me the supplies. I can do it myself," I said to her. "Then you can leave." I should be healed enough to do that much. My arms weren't as useless as they were before.

She didn't look happy about it, but she complied. "Are you always this way?" she asked.

I didn't answer her as I ripped off the bandages around my torso, deciding to do my worst injury first. I would have rather gotten it out of the way. It didn't look too bad, so I decided to forgo cleaning it, and went straight for the salve. I wasn't sure how much to take, so I just scooped up a mound of it in my palm. Should be enough.

Though as soon as I placed it on the open wound, I felt immediate regret.

I don't know why, but the pain felt amplified several fold than what I had grown accustomed to. It felt as if I was being torn in half. It was hard to muffle the groan that escaped me, as I hunched forward.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. "Are you all right?" I heard her ask, and felt a hand move toward my torso. When it touched the stinging, torn flesh, I practically hissed. "You used way too much! I thought you said you could do it yourself."

I responded to her with a longsuffering groan. Damn that _fucking_ salve.

I heard her shuffling again, before her hand was replaced with cloth. "Try to be still, I'll try to get some of it off."

When she rubbed at the tear in my skin, I let out a feral growl. I wanted to punch something.

As she continued to attempt to get the salve off, the urge to punch was quickly turning into the urge to kill.

However, as I was contemplating the many ways I could dismember someone, something else caught my attention for a moment. Mostly because it was foreign, and did not involve pain.

It was something that I felt. Fingernails trailing down the skin of my back. I managed to look in her direction, and I noticed she was indeed running her hand over my back.

I was about to tell her to stop the action, but as I was, I realized the sensation was distracting me enough for the ache to be dulled. I ended up choosing not to comment on it.

By the time she was finished, I hadn't even noticed.

"There, do you feel better?" I heard her ask.

I took a moment to look down, and noticed the ache had mostly subsided. I looked over to her to glare at her incredulously, then I looked back down to my injury.

I suppose I've felt worse.

* * *

It was a cold day today as I was lying in the grass underneath one of the beech trees.

Typically, I wasn't one to be terribly attuned to the cold, I never felt it. I was only aware that it was because _she_ wouldn't stop commenting about it.

"I'm so cold."

I turned to look at her with an irritated glower. That had been the umpteenth time she had informed me of this today. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.

"Then go find heat," I said with a grunt. All I wanted to do was sleep, but she seemed insistent on not allowing me to do that.

She sighed in discontentment. "But then you'll be alone."

"I've been without your company all my life until now. I'll survive."

I had grown accustomed to her disdain when it came to my disparaging remarks. But this time she merely chuckled, and for a moment it surprised me.

"You know..." she started. As I stared at her I noticed she had a hint of a smile on her face. "I find your consistent rudeness oddly refreshing. Do you think that's weird?"

I recovered from my surprise to let out a dismissive humph. "Yes."

Her smile only grew at my reply. She was sitting close to me, fiddling with the fabric of my cloak she had in her hands. I hadn't bothered to get it back from her from the time she had taken it before.

"No matter how many times I washed this, I couldn't get the smell of blood out of it," she said after a moment. I didn't respond.

We settled into a silence. It was long enough for me to relish in the small moment of tranquility it brought me. However short-lived it was.

"Can I ask a favor of you?" Her voice was quieter than normal when she asked.

I stared at her, feeling a mix of irritation and curiosity. "You can," I said as I looked away, up above me into the shroud of leaves from the treetops. They looked as if they were closing in on me. I closed my eyes. "Though whether or not I will do it is a completely different matter."

She continued on as if I hadn't pretty much declined her request. "Will you... allow me to see you?"

The simple question caught me off guard. I opened my eyes to stare at her, puzzled.

"You're blind." My tactless honesty made her laugh. The sound was prettier than when she chuckled.

"I'm aware," she said after she quelled the laughter into a wide smile.

"Then how do you plan on accomplishing that?" I couldn't help it, I was curious.

She moved closer to me, and placed my cloak over her thighs. She then lifted her hands up in front of her, palms outstretched. "With my hands."

I stared at them with a lifted brow before looking back to her face. "And just what do you intend to do with them? You've abused me enough to know exactly what I look like," I said derisively.

She laughed again. "Not your body, your face."

"And why should I let you do that?"

At my dismissal, she lost some of her enthusiasm. Her hands drooped. I almost felt guilty. Almost.

"I don't know... I just..." She sighed.

For a moment, she looked lost, as if her body was here, but her mind was far away. "You're the only person I don't feel like I'm suffocating around." I didn't respond, I simply eyed her curiously. "It's kind of hard to explain." She sent me a crooked, weak smile, followed by a chuckle.

"And I guess... your presence is the first interesting thing that's happened to me in a long time."

There was a pause where she didn't say anything, and I had no intention of filling the void. It took her a moment to find her voice again. "Everyone else coddles me." She spoke quietly, distantly. I watched as she slowly lifted a hand to place over her face. "Because of these eyes, they treat me like a brittle doll just waiting to crack."

I let out an amused snort. " _Hah_. Brittle. They obviously haven't been on the receiving end of one of _your_ slaps."

She lowered her hand to laugh. "You see? _You_ don't," she said. I ignored the comment. Her voice turned somewhat hopeful. "I just wanted to see... the one person who treats me like anybody else. The one person that I don't feel like I have to act like I care about their niceties. 'Do you need help with this?' 'Do you need help with that?' I can frown for once without being asked, 'oh, are you all right, dear?'"

She let out a deep sigh, and her shoulders drooped with it. "That sounds weird, doesn't it?"

I didn't have anything to say about her speech, so I said nothing at all. At my silence, she added hastily, "But I mean, it's not that I don't care about them! It's just nice to feel..." She trailed off.

I don't know what possessed me to comment, but I did.

"Free?"

Perhaps it was because it was a feeling I could relate to myself.

She smiled, and nodded once. "Yes, that's a good way to describe it." The look on her face gave me the impression she was pleased.

My following grunt was dismissive as I rolled over onto my side, turning away from her. "Good for you," I said, then closed my eyes, intending to fall asleep.

She was quiet for a time. Eventually, she spoke. "So, you won't let me?"

When I remained silent, she sighed behind me.

I almost thought she had given up; if her following silence was anything to go by. I let out a deep breath through my nose. Finally I would be able to sleep.

But then she started up this... infernal noise.

It was small at first, light taps to the leaves and twigs on the ground, to the tree beside her. I didn't really notice it at first. It was something that just blended into my subconscious thought.

But it got louder, and its rhythmic beat reminded me of a faulty spigot with an irritating leak. I didn't even notice the twitch my brow had adopted with every _'tink_. _'_

 _Tink. Tink. Tink._

 _Twitch. Twitch. Twitch._

 _Tink._

"What the hell is wrong with you, woman?!"

I had lifted my head to send her a withering glare from over my shoulder during my exclamation. The tapping stopped, and I noticed there was that infuriating, tiny smile on her face.

"If you let me, I'll let you sleep," she said with a faux innocence to her voice.

I grumbled, making my irritation known.

I was going to just ignore her, as I turned back around and adjusted myself to a more comfortable position, but then she reached out a hand and poked my back.

It was only once, and with such gentleness, it could have easily been mistaken for a sudden, irritating itch, but that one time was enough to make me wish she had went back to her tapping.

I sat up quick enough to give a mere human whiplash, and leveled her with a scowl so fierce it would have made even Mukuro think twice about pestering me.

Though it went right through her, and her smile stayed in place. It was infuriating.

"I'll even leave," she said as she drew out the last syllable to a most annoying degree.

I simmered for a moment, considering my options. I came to a decision soon after.

"Fine."

Her surprise was noticeable when she asked, "Fine?" I glowered.

"Are you asking me what the definition of 'fine' is, or do you just enjoy being my echo?"

The smile was back. "Neither. You just surprised me, is all."

I growled. "Get on with it. Before I change my mind."

She needed no further encouragement as she moved her way close to me. I didn't know what she was expecting me to do, so I sat motionless. I had no intention of going out of my way to appease her desire to 'see' me.

She sat in front of me, legs folded underneath her. Then she reached out with her hands to find me.

I watched her move slowly, deliberate and assessing. The hands found their way to my chest and stayed there. They rose with me on my next breath.

"You're really... warm." She commented, though I paid it no mind. I'm a fire demon. It's nothing new.

She didn't move for several minutes, and I began to become bored. I slouched forward.

I _thought_ she wanted to know what my face looked like, not one spot on my chest.

I was about to make a comment, but the words died in my throat when her hands began to move.

They moved slowly, and with purpose. Slim fingers traced lightly across my collar bone with a touch so light I barely felt it at all. Her skin was soft against my own calloused hide. It was enough to nearly make me shudder.

I sat up rigidly. Unnaturally still, almost as if frozen.

Her hands didn't stay on my collar bone for long, and soon made their way up my neck to my jaw.

I felt my skin rise with bumps underneath her fingertips in the wake of that stroke. Whether or not it was a reaction to her cool touch to my heated skin, or the alien sensation of a touch so intimately benign I just wasn't used to it, I couldn't say.

Whatever the case may be, it was disorienting.

Her thumbs began to rub gentle lines into the line of my jaw. Over a scar that she followed to its end, then back. I found myself focusing on that mark just as much as she seemed to be. I can't remember where I had gotten it. I had so many scars.

Her hands soon grew tired of my jaw to then travel over my cheeks, to my nose and its bridge. Her touch was so soft, I would have thought it to be the caress of a breeze if I hadn't had my eyes open to witness it.

She didn't speak all the while. She simply moved her hands along my face like an artist would a canvas.

Her fingers traveled past a scar over my cheekbone, but didn't linger, and when she moved them to trail over my eyes, I closed them. I felt each gentle stroke with such a focused awareness, that everything else seemed trivial. I spared no attention to the ambiance of the forest.

Thumbs moved slowly over my brow and the skin just above it, but didn't move past the bandage across my forehead.

This whole thing was a bizarre experience. I didn't rightly know what to make of it.

The hands moved down, and stopped at my jaw. With slight hesitation, I felt her trace a gentle arch across my lips with a thumb. I let out an audible, deep breath through my nose. The lightest touch swept across the upper, then the lower, feeling every part of their uneven, chapped surface.

My skin was rough, I knew this. Years of battle had done me no favors in that regard. But it had never been more apparent to me as it was now, when I felt those delicate fingers glide across my lips.

She didn't seem bothered by it.

Her thumb moved up slightly to put pressure against my skin. It was enough to make out an outline of my teeth. She slowly moved down the length of a fang to its pointed end, and put enough pressure against it to prick skin. If the idea of my pointed teeth bothered her, she didn't show it.

The hands then moved away.

There was a quiet that stretched between us for a long while.

Slowly, my eyes opened to regard her with a lazy, half-lidded stare.

When she didn't speak, I took it upon myself to question her.

"Is your curiosity sated?"

She nodded once.

I didn't say anything further as I laid back down on the grass on my side, turned away from her. Though now I had no intention of sleeping.

She didn't go through with her promise to leave. She remained seated where she was, so close to me.

And when her fingers touched my neck and ran up through my hair, I didn't berate her for it.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Hiei."

I watched as she stopped in her task of feeling my arm for any signs of bleeding, and possibly for the amount of damage that still needed healing. I could tell she was confused by the furrow of her brow.

"Hm?" she asked after a moment.

"You asked me what my name was before. My name is Hiei."

Realization dawned on her as her face lit up with a smile. She continued to check my arm. "Yes, I remember."

I didn't say anything more as she began to wrap my arm with bandages. They weren't nearly as sloppy as the first time she had done it.

"It's a strong name. It suits you," she said quietly.

Although I stayed silent, I couldn't help but feel a touch pleased by her praise. Though my expression remained impassive.

I suppose... she was at least somewhat tolerable.

* * *

AN:

Okay! Third chapter down. :D Tell me what you guys think! Should the chapters be longer? Is this a good length? Is it overwhelming, or is it just enough?

Anyway! Hope you guys liked this one. Until the next update!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all SO much for the support! I appreciate every bit of it. Without further adieu, I present to you all, chapter 4. :D

* * *

I was sitting on the ground, perched on dead leaves. I let out a breath, one of relief.

It came out like a groan, but I was far from in pain. Quite the opposite, actually.

The blind woman was seated behind me. She was humming something I didn't recognize. Not that I would have recognized anything that she hummed.

It was kind of annoying really.

But that wasn't important, and I was easily able to tune it out. What mattered was that I was content.

The weeks were beginning to go by quickly for me. As soon as I had gotten over my initial dislike for the woman who had taken it upon herself to assist me, my wounds were beginning to heal much faster. I could do menial things again without much added stress to my body. Standing and walking weren't much of an issue anymore, though I still found the actions of jumping or running to be somewhat painful.

All in all, I was marginally impressed with my progress. I've sustained many injuries in the past, and never have wounds so severe healed so quickly. The dragon's spit she called an ointment was actually helping. ... _Helped,_ I'd even venture to say. And though I would still find it hard to admit that I needed help at all, I couldn't say I wasn't appreciative—at least to _some_ degree.

Being injured was a nuisance that no one in my line of expertise could avoid. Actually having someone spend their time to solely aid in my recovery was... useful. It wasn't something I was used to, that much is for certain.

As a result, I found myself actually growing accustomed to her presence. So much so, that if I examined the feeling more closely, I'd dare say that I drew a minute amount of comfort from it; something else I wasn't used to. The more days that passed, the more I began to wonder if I should be concerned by it.

Though regardless of the apprehension I felt of my steadily growing comfort around her, I couldn't really pretend it didn't exist. Because, of course, she was always there.

Because of her constant presence, I had learned a lot about her in days past. Aside from her abhorrence to cold weather, I was also learning very quickly that she did not like long silences. She always seemed keen on filling the void, much to my annoyance, and couldn't seem to stay too quiet for too long. From talking, to humming—as she was doing now—...to making the most infernal racket with anything within her reach... She would find something to do.

It didn't seem to matter much to her if anyone joined in either. She seemed to have her own system of combating silence, and it didn't require anyone else to function. A system that I have determined that she has crafted to her own personal perfection.

But aside from the blind woman, I have also learned a lot about myself in my time here. Besides simply becoming too comfortable with her presence.

I let out a sigh.

Indeed, I have come to the conclusion that I have an addiction, which takes me to where I am sitting now.

It wasn't to anything particularly outlandish, but it was enough of a distraction to warrant me considering it a detriment to my overall well-being.

At first it had simply been something I tolerated for the way it could relieve pain. An action my self-imposed caretaker would perform whenever I had done something to injure myself beyond the initial infliction I had endured.

I have never indulged in something as inhibiting and pointless as alcohol or drugs, but I can imagine that addiction to them for pain relief would feel something akin to this.

To that effect, I have determined that I have developed both a love and a hate for it. While it is satisfying, it was making me far too complacent and lazy.

And the only thing that complacency and laziness bred was a quick demise. Years of living under constant threat of attack has taught me that.

However, despite all this, I couldn't seem to distance myself from it. It was a luxury that I had never had in all my years of existence. Something I had never gotten the chance to experience, for several different reasons.

Mostly it was because I had never before met someone who would willingly do me such a courtesy. Even those in my current circle of tolerable friendships would never dare to come too close to me for too long. Let alone long enough to touch me for any extended period of time.

…And perhaps partly, and most importantly, because I have such a complete and utter abhorrence to the idea of being touched. And one could most certainly not experience _this_ with such a near phobia of the action of being... touched.

It was something that I simply loathed; from the idea of being hugged, to something as minor as the awkward human tradition of a handshake. It had never sat well with me.

I suppose my dislike for being touched had risen from, to the most simplest degree, never actually being touched with the intent to alleviate pain. Anyone who has come close enough to touch me in the past has never had such benign intentions. Years of living under constant threat of attack has taught me that much as well.

Though regardless of all of that—all of my survival instincts and past experiences pushed aside—here I sit with my shoulders hunched, and my legs crossed, and my arms hanging limp in my lap, my head hanging down, while _she_ massages soothing circles into my shoulders.

Yes, I have an addiction to massages. Though I don't know how anyone could blame me. Not when she could do all _that_ with just her hands. It could very well tame a dragon.

The simplicity of human life never ceased to astound me. They lived such relaxed and mundane lives. So much so, that they had developed a technique that further instigated their laziness. Utterly ridiculous and atrociously wonderful.

I suppose the reason I was allowing her to actually touch me now was because of the sheer relief I had felt when she had massaged my arm the first time. That moment wasn't something I could easily forget.

I could still easily remember the feel of her hands on my arm. The way she had managed to ease the kinks I hadn't even realized I had.

Her smooth hands on my rough skin felt like satin on sandpaper. The thought made me remember when she had touched my face.

I could still feel her delicate hands on my scarred jaw at the memory. It set my mind at ease, and I relaxed further into her hands.

"My grandmother taught me this. I would always run into things when I was younger and get frustrated. She would do this for me to help me relax." Her voice filtered through my pleasant haze of contentment, and snapped me out of my near trance. When my mind finally translated the words into something coherent, I let out a snort of amusement.

I'm sure it was _very_ relaxing.

"I guess I remember more of it than I thought," she continued, seemingly pleased with herself. I hummed deeply in agreement. It might have easily been mistaken for a moan, but I didn't really care.

There was a moment of tranquil silence that fell over us. When she descended lower along my back, just underneath my shoulder blades, I let out a content sigh.

Her fingers then lifted to gently rake fingernails across my skin—down, then back up. Her nails trailed across a few rough patches of my skin. She lingered over them, feeling their hardened surface with gentle strokes.

"These are... scars?" she asked. A gave an affirmative grunt. I felt her place her palms flat against my back to slide them down on either side of my spine. The sensation made me shudder.

I would never get used to the feel of another's touch, even if I did enjoy the effects. She was an awfully touchy human, too. Though I guess it made sense, considering that was mostly how she saw the world. Through touch.

"You certainly have a lot of them. I've never really felt them before."

Her last comment amused me. _Hah_. I'm sure she hadn't considering the human way of life.

Her hands slid back up to pause at the center of my back. She rubbed against one of the scars with a thumb. "I noticed you had a few on your face too. You must have been in a lot of fights to get so many."

I humphed. Quite a vast understatement that was.

She paused a moment, then continued massaging my back more slowly. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering the state you were in when I met you."

I shrugged.

We lapsed into another silence. During it, I almost forgot she was there—my attention solely focused on the pleasing sensation of her touch. Perhaps I couldn't fully get used to it, but what I can say is that the benefits greatly outweighed the initial discomfort.

An ache in my back eased, and I slumped forward in relief.

Yes, I could deal with the discomfort. At least if this was the reward.

"You know, it's suppose to be cold out today. It's getting close to winter." Her voice brought me back to awareness. Though as soon as I comprehended what was spoken, I grumbled.

Not another one of _those_ complaints.

"But... I'm not cold," she said offhandedly, not stopping in her task of evening out the knots in my muscles. "You don't seem to be either."

I gave another shrug. I had no intention of informing her of why I couldn't feel the cold.

Her hands moved back up to my shoulders. "I was sure I was cold when I walked here. It's strange."

 _Why_ did she have to speak? I was actually beginning to enjoy her presence.

"You've been without a shirt for more than two weeks now, yet you've never complained..." she mumbled. I didn't bother to respond.

She went quiet again after that, but something told me it wouldn't last for long.

"There's something else that's been bothering me too."

I sighed indignantly. So much for the peace.

"It was the day you jumped on that tree," she started as she moved her hands off my shoulders. I grumbled. I never told her to stop. "I know this forest well. I've lived here nearly all my life. When I was a child, I used to try to climb these trees. I hated being told I couldn't just because I was blind."

Now I had to listen to her childhood stories? And without the massaging as part of the bargain? Lunacy. Perhaps if I fell asleep she wouldn't notice.

"The lowest branches on these trees are well past my height. I've never known anyone that could jump that high."

I groaned.

"And you have pointy teeth..."

"What's your point, woman?" I finally grouched. I doubted she would stop with her rationalizing of my abilities without sating this sudden spark of curiosity.

She seemed a little surprised by my vocal response. "Oh... uh. It's just... not normal I guess," she said, sounding unsure.

The insecurity in her voice made me smirk. "And just what is your definition of normal?" I questioned. Because where I come from, it's not just normal, it's a necessity.

She seemed cowed by my question, as if she hadn't given it much thought before. She was silent for a time before she spoke. "I don't know. But I don't think jumping over several feet in the air is normal."

I gave a haughty grunt. "Maybe not for a human," I said, looking over my shoulder.

I saw her brow furrow in confusion. "What does that mean?"

I sighed. Clearly I had said too much. "Nothing you need to know," I said dismissively. I turned back ahead of myself and began to search for a comfortable place to lay down. If she wasn't going to do anymore massaging, then I saw no reason to sit here any longer.

"Hiei." The use of my name gave me pause. I looked back over to her to notice she had a curious, albeit determined, look on her face. I didn't speak, but I didn't have to, because she continued not too long after. "What are you?"

The direct question took me slightly by surprise. I hadn't expected her to so readily question what I was.

I vaguely toyed around with my options on how to respond to her. I could just ignore her. It would probably be the easiest option. I wouldn't have to deal with anyone chastising me for introducing a 'normal' human to apparitions.

I could be cryptic and vague, but I immediately disliked the idea. That was the fox's job.

Or I could just tell her what she wanted to know. Because, as I thought on it, she probably would pester me to no end if I ignored her. Hell if I'd deal with the poking again.

"Hiei?" I heard her ask hesitantly when I had yet to respond. So I made up my mind.

"I'm a demon," I said easily. It's not my fault she's curious. She didn't have to help me and risk exposure into a world she was ignorant to. But she did. So she'll have to deal with the consequences of her curiosity. If the ferry girl or Koenma had something to say about it, then I wouldn't hesitate to tell them exactly what I think of them and their secrecy. Nothing a good threat or insult wouldn't solve.

"A... demon? What's the difference?" Her voice was so innocent and curious as she asked.

That was the second question that caught me off guard. I had expected something more along the lines of ridicule, or disbelief. But, she just wanted... to know the difference? I stared at her with an expression that mirrored her own.

I had to take a moment to remind myself that she was blind. Of course she wouldn't be bothered by the idea of demons nearly as much as others. It's not like she had ever actually _seen_ a human. And my body was not much unlike that of what she already knew as human.

"Besides, of course, the teeth, the jumping, and that you're impervious to the cold," she added.

I gathered my wits back quickly, and scoffed. "There's a big difference," I started, glaring at her. "Humans are weak, spineless, pathetic, greedy creatures. I am _nothing_ like them." The words came easily to me.

She at first looked surprised by my response. Perhaps because of the venom that dripped off every syllable of my statement. But that expression was quick to turn sour, and before long her brow had furrowed, and a frown had taken over her lips. "I'm not weak, spineless, pathetic, or greedy," she muttered.

I smirked at that, and let out a snide humph. "You're blind. Of course you're weak." It came out of my mouth like water would a drainage pipe, undeterred and without a filter.

That somewhat put-off look of hers was quick to school itself into a quiet rage. For someone who made quite a few expressions, her eyes were awfully expressionless. They were as devoid of emotion and as merciless as Kurama's.

"Well then. At the very least, I can take solace in knowing humans aren't as foolish and stupid as demons."

That certainly got my attention like nothing she said before had. The words irked me, and I did little to hide it.

" _What?_ " I spat with a deadly hiss, glowering at her through dilated eyes.

"If it weren't for the weak, spineless, pathetic, greedy creature before you now, you would already be dead from whatever it was you were stupid enough to get yourself into before." She spoke with a subdued ferocity. Had I not been so caught up in it being directed at me, I might have been impressed.

I let out a feral growl, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt to pull her to me. She gasped lightly at the contact, but her expression didn't waver. It irked me just as much as her words.

"For someone who claims to not be so stupid, you certainly are playing a dangerous game," I growled out.

She didn't respond to my chiding remark, nor did she attempt to struggle out of my grasp. It was infuriating. _She_ was infuriating. Where was the fear? She carried her emotionless mask for as long as I held her. Eventually, I released her with a shove. I would gain nothing from hurting her.

"You're a fool not to be afraid."

I watched her lift her hands slowly to fiddle with the now ruffled collar of her shirt. "Why should I be?" she asked quietly.

I scoffed. "I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine, fool. You're lucky I find killing humans to be a waste of time." The last part wasn't exactly true, but I wanted to scare her.

I didn't wait for her response as I turned away, and stood up carefully from the ground. I began to walk at a steady pace.

There was no reason for me to stay here any longer. I didn't need to subject myself to this forest _or_ her. The rest of my injuries could heal in a matter of days, and without the assistance of annoying, blind women with too much to say.

"I can't imagine you're all that strong. You certainly got it handed to you by the thing that brought you to these woods."

Her scathing words carried over the chill wind to stop me cold in my tracks. It rode the current and rolled over my body with a chilled sting.

But the cold was no match for me, as my hands clenched into fists that burned. They steamed in the face of the cold.

I spun around, but did not move forward. I hunched my shoulders, and sent her a glare that would have set her alight if I had wished it so.

I felt the rage bubbling up, but I wouldn't give in to her provocation so easily.

"You know _nothing_ of what you speak, woman. Your sightless eyes blind you to more than what's visible. Any normal human would be wise to be scared of saying something like that to me." My words came out as harsh and uncaring as the sudden gust of cold wind that blew through the trees to rattle their leaves. I had no intention of hurting her before, but if she wanted to play with fire, then I had no problem supplying the burn.

"Maybe it's good that I can't, so I can 'see' you for what you really are. A hypocrite." Was her quick reply.

A burst of steam came swirling out from my flared nostrils. But as soon as the pang of anger hit me, it faded—replaced by a smug sense of satisfaction. My down-turned lips curled upwards into a humorless, wicked smile.

I had an idea.

I stalked back towards her. I saw the action made her tense slightly, and it pleased me. When I stood in front of her, she made no move to stand up, or get away. Though this time I wasn't even slightly impressed by her foolish display of bravery.

I placed my hand harshly against her forehead, covering her eyes. She gasped, and reached for my hand.

"Calm down, fool. I won't hurt you. You aren't worth it." The last part might have been unnecessary, but her goading had earned her no small favors from me. "I will instill in you the fear you _should_ feel. Let me show you just how terrifying I really am." Because _I_ could. I _had_ no deficiencies that plagued every single mundane, _weak_ human. _I_ could show her what her failed eyes never could. What _no one_ ever could. The power of the Jagan afforded me far more than something as simple as mere sight. It far exceeded the fragile and _limited_ nature of the eyes.

I could show her just how powerful I really am with a mere thought. With my own force of will.

My smile turned maniacal.

And with that, I forced an image of my full demon form into her mind. I heard her gasp, and felt her grip on my arm tighten from the strain of the force of having something pushed into her mind without her consent.

The effect had been immediate. I felt her eyelashes scrape against my hand as her eyes opened wide. Her breathing hitched, and I saw her shoulders begin to tremble.

I smirked. Good. She should be scared.

My satisfaction of finally making her feel the fear she should have felt before didn't last for long, however. And my smirk fell when she did something I did not expect.

She started to cry.

As soon as it began, it streamed down her face in waves as rushing, and turbulent, and _endless_ as the waterfalls of Makai.

It startled me, and I attempted to move my hand away from her, but the hands she had raised to grab my own held on fast. Her grip was sturdy, even for a human. I noticed she held onto my arm so tightly her knuckles had faded to an even whiter color.

I shook my hand, perturbed and perplexed by the reaction I had received, but her grip didn't slack.

"Let go," I voiced. She did not heed my demand.

I attempted to pull my arm away, but when she held on even tighter, it made me pause.

"Woman? What the hell is wrong with you?" I exclaimed, but she didn't seem to hear me. Her expression stayed the same.

I became curious despite my original intention to scare her. I even forgot about my initial anger.

I leaned forward, and with a gentleness I didn't think myself capable of, I asked, "Woman?" Though, to anyone who didn't know me more personally, it probably sounded as gentle as glass on chalkboard.

Though even with my attempt at gentleness, it still didn't seem to get her attention. She stayed seated in the same way as when I had forced the image of myself into her mind—inhumanly still.

My eyebrows furrowed in disdain and confusion. I would have thought her blindness would have made her shocked and horrified at seeing something as terrifying as my full demon form. To have something forced into her mind without any control of it. But this didn't seem like fear. Otherwise, she wouldn't be clinging so desperately to me.

If not fear, then what _was_ this?

As I stared down at her, at her wide eyes and partly opened mouth, she definitely did look shocked. But this was the first time she had seen _anything._ Of course she would be.

I thought on that a moment—my previous thought looping in my mind—and then it clicked.

... _Oh._

...Perhaps this wasn't any negative emotion at all.

And as I began to realize it, her lips finally started to move.

" _You're beautiful._ "

This time, I recoiled my hand quickly, as if bitten. She looked stricken by the loss, as her hands followed mine to find it, but I moved out of her reach. Her hands slowly lowered to her lap. Her expression didn't falter from its wide-eyed, tearful stare all the while.

But I had paid no mind to that. Only to the two words that stamped themselves across my mind, as if written on stark white paper with bold, black ink. Permanent and unyielding.

I stared at her with an alien feeling gnawing at my chest—caught somewhere between confused, disgusted, fascinated, and horribly intrigued.

It wasn't just the words themselves that struck me. Her tone: it had been raspy, desperate... broken, but filled with such a yearning that I felt the painful ache they had left in the wake of their passing. A near palpable sensation.

But above all else, they were unmistakably honest, and unnervingly sincere—only stunted by the limitations one could express through mere words alone.

If I said I wasn't surprised, I'd be lying to myself. I had never heard such an emotionally charged statement, least of all directed at me.

And she just kept _crying_. I was at a loss as to how to communicate with her through her curtain of tears and doe-eyed, blank face.

"Woman," I spoke sternly, but it didn't seem to reach her.

She looked lost to the waking world, only aware of the image that had seared itself into her mind. And as I checked, I knew it to be true.

The image of myself filled every corner.

I reached out a hand to grab her by the shoulder and shook her. " _Hey_." It didn't work. She sat there motionless, save for the trembling of her body under the weight of the emotion that seemed to shake her to her core.

I growled in frustration. This had apparently been a terrible mistake. One in which I didn't know how to correct. ...I suppose I could just leave like I had originally planned.

But as I thought on that, I realized I'd rather not be haunted by the image of her void expression and silent tears on top of the words that I already knew I would have trouble forgetting.

 _You're beautiful._

I felt an annoying pulse in my temple.

Though if I was going to do something, what should I do? I didn't know how to snap her out of this odd... catatonic state. Hell if I was going to try to _comfort_ her _._ Maybe she needed a distraction.

I looked around, and caught sight of the bucket she seemed so fond of. I left her to retrieve it, then returned and dropped it on her lap. The only sign she gave that she had noticed was a small, startled jump when it hit the top of her thighs.

"There. Go... fill it with water or whatever else you do," I muttered.

She rewarded me for my efforts with silence and tears.

I let out an exasperated sigh. What else could I do?

Then an idea struck me.

I could, perhaps, erase her memory.

It seemed the only viable option. At least if I did, we could just go on as we were.

So I reached out a hand, and placed it against her forehead, though with far less force than before. With the power from the Jagan, I easily found the image that permeated every part of her mind. I gave it a mental tug. There was an immense amount of resistance. Her mind seemed very much opposed to letting it go, whether she herself was conscious of that or not. But her internal struggling was no match for me.

Before I completely pulled it free of her, I looked down to her face.

What I saw startled me. Almost as much as when she had first started up her incessant crying.

She had started to smile.

It was small, but the change caused me to pause in the action of removing the memory from her. I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"What-" I started, but was interrupted by her quiet voice.

"Thank you."

If I was anything other than a demon, I probably wouldn't have heard it.

It was just as honestly sincere as before, and as I continued to stare at her, I couldn't bring myself to remove the memory. I'm not sure if it was because of any amount of sympathy, or I just simply couldn't think of a good enough reason to deny her this seemingly small thing.

So I removed my hand, and let it fall by my side.

She didn't move, nor did she say anything else.

Eventually, I scowled disdainfully and turned away from her. I walked over to one of the thick trees and sat myself at the base of its trunk, crossed my arms, and closed my eyes.

I guess I wouldn't be getting anymore massages today.

* * *

AN:

I'm so sorry for the delay of this chapter guys! This was supposed to be out Friday, but I got a bit carried away with editing. Ahem!

For those of you who read the last chapter sooner to the date that I had updated this story last, chapter three has undergone a few edits. If you'd like to read a good chunk of extra content, I implore you to check it out!

For everyone else, if you get just plain tired of my shenanigans and the week or so long wait in-between updates, you can always check back with the previous chapters every now and then. I usually add some new stuff. :'D

Thanks again guys for the support! I really like this story so far. I'm glad you guys do too!


	5. Chapter 5

The long wait is over! Here's chapter 5!

* * *

I was haunted by those two seemingly insignificant words for the next three or so days that followed that event.

They followed me into my dreams, my nightmares.

They whispered and called to me... sinister and sweetly all at once. A poignant expression of their existence in my mind that left me unsettled. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard her voice. Every time I opened them, it would linger at the edge of my mind. An incessant call to madness, I was sure. It was driving me insane.

They had kept me inward, as I reflected on them more often throughout the days than I'd care to admit.

It was pathetic of me, a demon. I knew it to be true. But there was something so enthralling about those words. Something so unmistakably interesting, like finding gold at the bottom of a perilous sea. It was hard to ignore.

I let out an annoyed sigh.

During those days, I had been working on my physical limitations brought on by my injuries. Most of which, just as I had thought, had mostly healed. However, most of my spirit energy hadn't quite fully come back to me. It hadn't taken me long to realize that going back to Makai in my condition wouldn't be wise, considering if I was the target of another attack. I wouldn't survive it.

I let out a flurry of punches into the afternoon, cold air from where I stood underneath the beech trees, testing my speed.

But since I couldn't leave just yet, it left me with far too much time to think.

It didn't really matter what I did, her words would find a way to creep back into my mind, and I would let them taunt and beckon me like the far off cry of thunder of a brewing storm.

I increased my speed, trying to push my body past its limit.

I don't know why I kept thinking about it. I don't even know why it even bothered me at all. What was wrong with me anyway?

When I tried moving faster, I lost my rhythm, and my momentum died out. I let out a frustrated growl.

I had only wanted her to be afraid of me, as everyone should be. But instead, I had gotten more than I was prepared to handle, or wanted to.

Perhaps the reason I couldn't shake her voice from my mind was because I had never experienced anyone feeling any kind of genuine gratitude and yearning towards me, of all living, breathing things, that it drew me in as surely as a moth is drawn to a flame. I couldn't turn away.

My eyes flitted over to the woman whose voice remained stagnant in my mind. She was sitting at the base of a tree, looking vacant and lost. I scowled, the frown dragging down on the corners of my lips.

Though perhaps the most annoying part of this whole ordeal, was that she still hadn't snapped out of that blank, vacant state since the incident happened.

She still, of course, came by as she normally did. A habit that must be so ingrained into her daily routine, that walking these woods was probably more instinctual than anything else.

But that wasn't the part that bothered me. What bothered me was the silence she greeted me with every morning and afternoon she 'visited.'

I wanted her to speak.

I wanted her to tell me her words meant nothing. That it was just a spur of the moment slip of the tongue.

I wanted her to yell at me. Tell me how much of an arrogant fool I was, and how little she thought of me. _Anything_ to sate this insufferable curiosity that had my mind shackled.

At least that way, it would have made everything easier. It would have made sense. That was, after all, what she was supposed to do.

But instead, she sat there—with her lips tightly pressed together in a thin line, and her head downcast, with her hands held in her lap, _and silent_. It was maddening.

No matter what I said to her, she rose to no bait.

No amount of insults, no amount of crass jibes, not even a cruel remark about her vision— _nothing_ could get her to utter another word.

I was losing my patience. And I didn't really have all that much to begin with.

It was positively grating. Never before had I ever thought that I would have preferred her incessant prattling over the silence.

And every time I looked into those blank, impassive eyes, all I could think of were those unfathomable, annoying _words._

 _You're beautiful._

I shook my head to clear it, but it didn't work. I didn't know how to deal with it. Her, or that damn statement. I couldn't figure any of it out. And I didn't much care for things I couldn't figure out. It made me feel like I was no longer in control. And I _always_ am.

At least, I was. Up until just shy of two days ago. Or had it been three? _Damn it_. I'm losing my grip on my own mind. I can't even keep track of the time. Damn that human woman.

I continued to stare at her. She hadn't even moved.

I couldn't begin to fathom what was going on in that empty head of hers. Every time I tried to read her mind, all I received was a bunch of swirling, chaotic emotions that I couldn't possibly begin to understand. They assaulted my senses with their potent chaos of feeling. It had left me more confused than when I _hadn't_ read her mind. It didn't help that she didn't think the way I was used to. She didn't think in images or memories. Only sounds and feeling. It was hard to discern between her thoughts when her mind was so vastly different from my own.

My stare turned into a glower.

Every time she had come by, including today, she would try to treat my injuries as she normally did. But every time, I would refuse her aid with a snide, _"I don't need it. Stupid woman."_

And every time, since that _stupid_ incident, she would just sit down close to me and say nothing. No angry retort, _nothing_.

I shattered the silence with a deep and guttural sound.

I should never have told her what I was, or shown her that image, or grown to be so unguarded around her that I would toss aside my better instincts. Now she was under my skin.

"Woman," I snarled.

She didn't even look at me.

I growled, and looked away from her to let out an angry humph.

I don't know why it was bothering me so much. I must have gotten quite pathetic over the years if I was letting myself get so worked up over mere words.

I let out a frustrated grunt and turned in her direction. I didn't feel like dealing with anymore of this foolish game. I wanted it to end.

With my fists clenched tightly at my sides, I walked in her direction until I was directly in front of her.

I stared down my nose at her still form, and she tilted her head up slowly to me. It was the only thing that let me know she had actually noticed my presence.

"Are you really going to just sit there all day _again_?" I spoke derisively. I don't know how much more of this mental torment I could bother to take. _Something_ needed to happen.

I saw her open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed her lips and turned her unseeing gaze back to the ground. A felt a pulse in my temple.

"Tch. You look as fragile and brittle as the doll you hate being described as."

I saw her shoulders hitch, and her fists clench the fabric underneath them. It sparked a small pang of hope in me.

 _Finally._ A reaction. It was about damn time. If this is what it would take to make her open her mouth, then I would gladly do it.

I was about to make another jab at her—just to see if I could push her far enough to talk—but the words died on my tongue when I heard a soft sound.

It was quiet, but I could make it out as the sound of crunching leaves. Footsteps?

I stilled, and carefully looked around.

She had seemed to notice it too, for she also turned tense. I could tell she was perhaps listening for more sounds.

I closed my eyes, and allowed my Jagan to see for me. But I sensed the energy just as soon as the Jagan caught sight of three figures. Their energy flickered and pulsed with a strong sense of eagerness and aggression that was unmistakable.

Demons. How the hell had I not noticed them sooner? I was far more distracted than I thought. Damn this woman.

As they drew closer, I could tell they were stronger than any average demon. Their energy was more vast, more untamed.

Wait. I recognized this energy... Could it be?

But before I could finish the thought, the three walked through the foliage of the forest and into view.

I heard a familiar voice before I bothered to turn around. "Well now, look what _we've_ found, boys." A raspy, throaty laugh accompanied the sarcastic, snide tone that only those who thought far too highly of themselves would use. Despicable cretin. I felt my anger rising the more I felt his energy. "I thought I smelled a rat."

"Ey, isn't that the human sympathizer we messed up a while back? I thought we killed this little shit. You gettin' soft, boss?" One of his lackey's quipped. A pathetically weak, lower class B demon.

"Yeah! I thought he was dead for sure," the other one of his small entourage pipped up. This one sounded so ridiculous and stupid with his drawn-out intonations, that he could have made even Kuwabara sound sophisticated.

"Shut up, ya filthy ingrates," the first voice, the strongest of the three, spoke. He was a middle A-class demon at best.

Yes, I knew these fools. These were the idiots that had ambushed me back in the demon world. The cowardly ones that had used a human to escape their deaths.

I kept my back to them as I turned only my head to glare. I shifted my stance to a more aggressive one in preparation for any sneak attacks that might follow their arrival. There had been a lot more of them before.

My attention was stolen by a slight shift of movement I caught in my peripheral vision. I looked over to see the woman I was so caught up with had tensed up considerably. She looked like a cornered, frightened animal. She had her head down, and her hands braced against the earth beneath her.

The other three seemed to notice the movement as well.

"What's this?" the leader started with his irritating voice. I heard him take a step forward. "A human with the human sympathizer? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." He moved his head up and cackled. The sound made me want to smash his face against the ground so I could hear his bones crack. I turned my head fully to send him a heated, withering glare. He took another step forward—a deliberately slow action that I suppose he thought was threatening or menacing, but only served to make him look more like the fool I already knew him to be. Though, the next thing to come from his mouth really set my blood to boiling. "Not surprising at all really, since you obviously ran to the human world with your tail between your legs."

My fists clenched hard enough to draw blood. This fool had already crossed me once, and has since been alive for far too long after it.

"Ooh, she's pretty. Can I have her, boss?" the B-class demon said.

It was followed shortly by the stupid one saying, "I wanna eat her!"

I wanted nothing more than to separate their heads from their bodies. They were nothing more than bottom-dwelling vermin that weren't even worth the air they breathed.

I saw her shift again, and it made me look back over to her once more. She was trembling.

"No, you idiots!" I heard the leader start. His voice sounded strained and annoyingly loud. But he got quieter, almost sinister. At least, if you could even count overconfident, weak fools trying to sound tougher than they actually are, sinister. "I have a plan for _her_."

I sensed their energy flicker. It was at that moment that I knew something was about to happen. But I wasn't going to stand around idle and let these three fools get the first strike.

In a fraction of a second, I dashed, and made a straight line for the leader.

In that same fraction, I was in front of the A-class demon, and I smirked. It had been far faster than their slow eyes could track. For a split second, his eyes shone true fear. It made my smirk turn feral. This one second was all I needed.

But before I could rip the fool's intestines out through his stomach, I heard a very familiar voice. It wasn't a scream, it was more of a choked, startled gasp. And I turned my head, for only a moment, into the direction of that voice.

A moment, however, is a moment too long to take your eyes off your opponent.

A splitting ache tore itself through my midsection, and I let out a startled groan. I leapt backwards, looking back towards my assailant through angry, red eyes. I wrapped my arm around my now torn wound, bending forward from the pain. I breathed in painfully through clenched teeth that I bared to all in my rage.

I looked over towards the voice I had heard before, and I saw the two lackeys had grabbed hold of the human woman. She looked frantic and desperate as she tried to thrash and pull her arms free.

A booming laugh drew my attention back to the leader. He had a wide grin spread across his stupid face.

"You should pay more attention to your opponent, ' _Hiei of the Jagan.'_ 'The _human sympathizer_ ,'" he said as he swung around a dagger in his hands. He let out another laugh.

I growled—loud, deep, and animalistic. It was enough to halt the laughing, as their leader jumped as if startled.

I moved towards him, but now I was slower. Damn _all_ of these insignificant _cretins_.

He noticed my intentions. I could tell by the way he tried to move.

I was still fast enough to outpace him, injured or otherwise, but unfortunately not fast enough to get to him before his grunts did. Before I could even throw a punch, they were there, dangling that woman in-between them and me like a shield.

I pulled back in frustration, and the leader cackled like a deranged hyena. It fueled the fire in my veins all the more.

"This seems all too familiar, doesn't it, _Hiei_?"

 _Fuck_ him.

This wasn't going to happen again. I wasn't about to give these fools the satisfaction of killing _me._

And I most definitely wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. I wasn't about to die for the sake of _another worthless_ _ **human**_.

"...Hiei."

The soft voice interrupted my focus, and snatched my eyes from the thug to _her_.

It was the first thing she had spoken to me in days. The sound was quiet and rough, almost foreign, to my ears. Her stare tried to find me, but when I didn't speak, it couldn't. Her head fell forward.

She looked pitiful, ...small. I stared at her, and for a moment I almost forgot about the three that held her.

She didn't call for help, nor did she attempt to struggle. Her shoulders just drooped, perhaps in resignation.

A tiny, caged bird with no wings. It must be an awful existence.

It made me wonder. What was she thinking now?

But I didn't get another chance to read her mind, because the two who held her shook her. I looked back up to them with a snarl.

I heard a smug, clipped laugh, and turned my eyes on the 'leader' of the group. He had an eyebrow raised in my direction.

I myself noticed how all of my muscles had tightened back up, as if they had slackened at some point. Had I dropped my guard for a second there? I was never that careless.

"What's this? Is there something going on between you and this little human girl?" The leader asked. I sent him a glare so fierce that it would have made the pits of hell look benign. He drew back slightly, but regained himself to sneer. "How disgusting, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised." His goons chuckled beside him, as if they were all in on some elaborate joke.

I watched the leader grab _her_ by the back of the shirt and move her in front of him. Her head lolled to the side. "So what'll it be, Hiei? You gonna play nice, or are we gonna to have to kill the girl?"

I glared at him, then at her. She hung low in his arms like a limp, little doll.

I felt my anger flare.

She was pathetic. She wouldn't even struggle. How the hell had I ever allowed myself to be so caught up in a human woman who was so... _**weak**_. It was pathetic to witness, as she was presented to me the way I _expected_ her to be.

 _ **Useless**_.

That's all _any_ human was. Too weak to defend themselves. So much so that they needed others to do it for them. My fists clenched tightly at my sides on reflex.

I was foolish. Foolish to ever think there was anything to her. She was no different than any other human. Her pretty words were _empty_ promises of any depth she may have had _._

How could I be so caught up with her, when the only thing she could manage to do was weakly call my name? Was that the best she could do? Was that _all_ she had to offer?

I stood still for a time, as I stared at her and the three idiots in front of me.

The leader seemed to grow impatient with my silence. "Quit stalling," he said as his smile faltered into a frown. Though a fierce glare from me was enough to silence him.

The other two lackeys began to attempt to advance on me. I paid them no mind.

My eyes fell upon her once more. At her still form. When she didn't move a muscle, I glared at her.

It was as if a moment of clarity struck me, alleviating my mind of its previously boggled state.

...I _hate_ humans. I _always_ have.

So I made my decision.

I turned, and fled.

* * *

I ran. Ran with the calls of those fools trailing behind me, as fast on my heels as if they were actually chasing me.

" _That's right! Run Hiei! Run away! Just like you did last time!"_

 _Hah_. I would enjoy killing them slowly. Just as soon as they stopped hiding behind those wretched humans. I will make them wish they had never heard my name. Torture them until they could do _nothing_ but _beg_ for a quick death.

My legs carried me through the trees. From branch to branch. They had, at least, not suffered any damage from the sudden arrival of those idiots.

I jumped to another branch, though when my feet connected with it, a shock of pain ricocheted through my torn stomach. I flinched, but didn't stop moving.

Another branch, and the pain was enough to cause me to stop on it so I could catch my breath. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and breathed in deeply.

The injury on my stomach, it seemed, was not in as good a shape as my legs or arms. That fool had reopened the wound. It felt as if my organs were fighting with each other to try to escape through the large gash. I used my arm to wrap around my torso to put pressure against it. I could tell I had only been making the bleeding worse by running.

I leaned down, and slid my shoulder along the trunk of the tree until I was squatting on the branch.

Gingerly, I moved away the arm to assess the newly opened wound.

It looked like a bloodied mess of torn skin. Perfect.

I clenched my teeth to keep from letting out another pained hiss as I wrapped my arm back around it.

 _Damn it all._ I was a fool for allowing myself to get into this mess a second time. Now I would have to suffer through that unbearable salve all over-

The thought abruptly stopped.

...

The arm I used to hold my wound tightened around my middle.

I shook my head clear of the thoughts and forced myself to stand.

I had to keep moving. Even if it made things worse. Those fools would follow me for sure. Especially since they came through to the human world just to find me.

I wasn't entirely sure where to go. If they were after me, of all the ' _human sympathizers,'_ then they would most definitely go after Yusuke or Kurama. I couldn't go to them if I was being followed. I'd rather deal with those idiots than an irate Yusuke, or an enraged Kurama, all because I led three demon upstarts right to them and the humans they cared for so much.

That left me with few options. There's no way I'd go to Mukuro. I'd rather die than deal with that shame. And there was no telling if there would be more of them waiting as soon as I stepped foot into the demon world. All I needed was a place to stay for a short time so I could heal. Then I could deal with my pest problem, and all would be well.

 _A place like_ this _perhaps? The place I found the first time I had gotten myself into,_ "whatever stupid thing you were foolish enough to get yourself into."

Her voice slipped into my mind like water would a basin from a running faucet.

...

I gritted my teeth, frustrated, and forced myself to jump to another branch. My foot slipped, and I nearly toppled to the ground far below. I let out a grunt through clenched teeth as I reached out a hand to grasp at the trunk of the tree so I wouldn't fall.

The pain was getting to me.

The muscles in my arm started to spasm from how tightly I gripped the tree. It was the only thing keeping me upright. It felt horribly tense. I could really use another one of those massages.

...

Damn it. _Damn it all to hell. She_ just wouldn't leave my _mind._ Why the hell wouldn't she?

An image of her trying to fight her way free from those demons flashed before me. I let out a growl.

It wasn't my fault. She got herself into this. _She_ was the useless one that couldn't fend for herself. _I didn't do_ _ **anything**_.

The image of her limp body in those demon's arms filtered into my mind.

...

That's right. I didn't do anything.

...

No. _No._ This is _not_ my fault. She exposed herself to this the moment she tried to save me. The moment she riddled me with her questions about what I was. It's _her_ fault she is where she is now.

Except, she didn't try. My life was spared.

...

She's _useless. Worthless._ She means _nothing_ to me. So _why_ does it _**bother**_ me so much?

...

 _'You're beautiful._

 _..._

 _...Hiei'_

 _..._

I howled in frustration as I gripped my head and tugged at my coarse hair.

This is ridiculous. I can see her face and hear her voice as surely as if she were standing right beside me. She was _haunting me._ I threw my arm down and glared at the shroud of trees in front of me, because I needed _something_ to glare at. Even if it wasn't conscious of my efforts.

Fine. I'll admit it. She saved me. I would have died if it wasn't for her. And no, she hadn't asked for anything in return for the weeks I had been under her care. She had never tried to force me to do anything, and went out of her way to do more for me than she had to. No, she didn't have to give me _anything_. The massages, or the aid. She just did so because she noticed that it helped me.

But I didn't _ask_ for _any of it._ She just did it because... because...

Well _I don't know_ why. I'm not exactly well-versed in human behavior and their mannerisms. I'll leave that for Kurama to sort out. That's _his_ domain.

...

But I know... most humans would _never_ do for me what she did, and most demons would have just killed me. Most humans would have just run away. But _she_ didn't. Why?

...

She had only really made one mistake. And no, it wasn't that she had decided to help me that day.

...It was that she had decided to help _someone_ _ **like**_ _me_.

...

I replaced my hand slowly to the trunk of the tree to steady myself as I looked over my shoulder. At the way I had run away from. I couldn't see anything but the shroud of trees.

I straightened my body, ignoring the pain, and closed my eyes. I inhaled deeply.

What do I think I'm doing exactly?

I've never run away from anything in my life, so what the fuck am I doing now?

Maybe I could die, but when has the threat of death ever been strong enough to deter _me_?

I am _Hiei._ I run from _nothing._

But did I really want to risk dying for the sake of one human? For _her_ sake _?_

 _..._

Did it really bother me that much?

...

I opened my eyes slowly, and exhaled a breath, watching the steam swirl in front of me.

It was cold today.

...

 _Damn it._

I turned around fully, and dashed back the way I came.

A life for a life.

* * *

I got back to the clearing quickly. Quicker than the amount of time it took to leave it.

I walked out through the dense trees into the open space with little care for subtlety. It wasn't exactly something that was too far up on my list of priorities. Though, I didn't run in with the reckless abandon equivalent to that of Yusuke's entrances. I saw no benefit to being flashy or loud.

I'll let their screams be the loudness to _my_ entrance.

I saw the three come into view just some little ways in front of me. They hadn't even noticed my approach, the idiots. But I didn't spare them much of a glance—my attention was quick to locate _her._

When my eyes did catch sight of her, I felt my anger hit me with a nasty force.

She was lying on the ground on her stomach, struggling to push herself up, while the B-class crony held her down. I could see him pulling at her hair to look at her face, while he had one of her arms pinned against her back. I am no expert on human anatomy and how their bones differed from that of a demon, but I knew just from looking that the angle was painful. Perhaps close to breaking the arm.

I felt my lips curl up into a snarl.

"Hey boss, get a load o' this. She's blind. Can you believe that?" the B-class fool spoke as he cackled in a stupid way.

I clenched my fist so tightly I felt the muscle spasm just underneath my heated skin. These disgusting vermin. If there's one thing I disliked more than weaklings, it's the weaklings that prey on those weaker than them.

I turned my gaze back down to her. She looked so fragile. Some of my anger waned at looking at her. But when I looked back at the one who held her down, my anger was quick to flare back up.

And if there's one thing I _hate_ more than weaklings who prey on the weak, it's tourists.

Seemed a good enough reason as any to rid them of this forest.

I sauntered up the rest of the way until they were a mere few feet from me.

The stupid one noticed me first. He was closer to me than the other two. He turned his head to look at me, and grinned in a way that made me want to snap his neck.

He pointed at me as he looked away to regard his company. "Hey guys! Look who showed back-"

So I did.

Looking away from _me_ was the last mistake he would ever make, as I moved swiftly in his direction. With a powerful swing of my arm, my fist collided with the side of the pitiful demon's jaw.

His head jerked to the side with a sickening crack, and I smiled with great satisfaction.

He fell limp to the ground with a thud. His eyes fell dormant as they hazed over with the oncomings of death. A look I was all too familiar with.

The other two looked to me quickly. The B-class demon stared at me in shock for a moment. He looked to the A-class demon with fear in his eyes.

"Uh... boss?" I heard the lower-class demon of the two say.

The A-class demon looked spooked. He stared at me, unsure, and with growing trepidation in his eyes.

"H-he's here-"

"I see him, you _idiot,_ " the leader of the remaining two barked in response.

I didn't relish in my small victory. Not just yet.

I stared down at the dead body of their fallen comrade before looking to where _she_ was lying on the ground. Now that I was closer, I could see she had injuries. There were several scrapes along her face, and I could tell she had some injuries on her body as well by the state of her torn clothes. The sight infuriated me.

She couldn't even see to defend herself against attacks. These heathens couldn't find some _other_ human to fuck with? One that at least had working eyes?

I felt the heat roll off me in waves. Steam rose from my simmering skin to swirl in the cold air. I looked up to them, and with a quiet, deadly tone I muttered, "Release her. Or my next punch won't be so soft."

The other demon scrambled off of the now limp body of the human underneath him. He ran behind his leader like the coward that he is. But my attention didn't stay with him for long.

At hearing my voice, I noticed her stir. She moved her head up, and lifted a shaky arm out in my direction.

"...Hiei."

Hearing her voice gave me pause, and I hesitated as I looked down to her outstretched hand.

I looked away from her. I couldn't allow myself to hesitate. The same distraction was what had caused me to nearly be gutted the last time.

I recollected myself to glare at the two who still needed killing.

But, of course, that A-class fool seemed to notice my moment of hesitation.

The fear had faded from his face to be replaced with a grin. I watched him walk to her, and lift his foot. He stepped on the raised hand with force. I heard her cry out in pain.

His grin widened, displaying a set of jagged teeth. "Don't need to worry about a thing. He's practically half dead already. Just look at all that blood." He pointed to me, to the gash on my stomach that I had all but completely forgotten about. "And besides..." I watched as he rubbed his heel into the skin of her hand. Heard the sound of her quiet, pained groan. It triggered something inside me. "We have something he wants. It's called leverage boys and girls." He lifted his head and cackled. It increased in volume with every breath he took, but I had already tuned him out.

If I had been angry before, it was nothing compared to the rage I felt now. I stared at the hand, at the forming angry, red mark on its surface. I watched her try to pull away, but it only made it worse.

 _Fucking insignificant, asinine, worthless piece of_ _ **shit.**_ This fool had pissed me off for the last time.

I felt a twitch in my temple, a snarl on my lips, a hiss on my tongue.

I flexed my right hand. I felt the dragon within it stirring. A crackle of black energy popped into existence to strike at the ground before me.

"Uh... boss? I don't think this is a good idea..." the remaining lackey said.

"Don't be an _idiot._ Do you _see_ any other possibilities lying around? We kill him now," the leader responded.

"But... we had ten other guys backing us up before, and an S-class!"

So, they had no back up. That's all I needed to know.

" _Shut up!_ "

The loud reprimand stopped the lackey's whining. But the moment of silence didn't last for long as he stared at me with fear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry boss, but I don't wanna die!" The B-class demon started to sprint away.

"Don't run away! Get back here!" The leader called out.

My eyes flitted to the escaping demon, and with a blur of movement, I was in front of him.

I didn't give him the chance to scream as I shoved my clawed hand through his chest. I ripped my hand out, and with a gaping mouth and wide eyes of shock that will forever be frozen on his face—until his corpse rots into the earth—he fell to his knees, then hit the ground with a thud.

As the dead body fell away, my wrathful stare trained on the last surviving member of the three. I felt nothing but malice.

In the leader's eyes, I could see his will deteriorating. He backed up, and looked quickly down to the woman on the ground. In his desperation, he grabbed her and held her in front of himself. His arm snaked around her throat. I watched as she lifted her hands in an attempt to pull the arm off, but his grip was far stronger than hers.

She tried to speak, but the grip on her throat prevented it.

"Come any closer, and I'll choke her," he said. His words sounded feeble and strained.

I watched him, my expression not wavering. Slowly, I lifted my right arm, smeared with the dark color of blood. It dripped onto the grass. The action elicited a gasp from the demon a little way in front of me.

I clenched it, and looked up to the demon whose face had taken on an unsettled, blue-ish tint.

In an instant, I was behind him. I watched him as he swung his head around frantically in search of me. I could see the beads of sweat roll down his neck.

" **I will _kill_ you** ," I said in a low tone.

He jumped, startled, and dropped the woman as a result, who gasped out in shock and pain. He spun around and stared at me through wild eyes.

I took a step forward, and he took a step back. He ended up tripping over her _,_ and fell to the ground. That did not deter him, however, as he scurried backwards with his hands and kicking feet.

I stepped over her, advancing on the fool as he took his final breaths.

In his panicked state, words spewed from his mouth in an attempt to placate me. "W-wait! Listen to me, Hiei, it was just a joke, all right?" he stuttered, raising his arm in an effort to halt me. It didn't. "I never thought _you_ would die, ya know? I never wanted to kill _you._ "

I took another step. He panicked. "Y-you wouldn't kill another of your kind, right? We're pals." He made an effort to grin.

I stared at him, but only for a moment.

"Yes."

The fake grin fell off his face, and with widened, panicked eyes, he got to watch as I raised my fist. I was ready to strike.

I reeled it back, and started to swing.

But before I hit him, something stopped me. It wasn't something that stopped my fist, but the broken sound of a voice that stilled me.

I felt arms wrap around my waist, and a cheek press against my lower back.

"Please, Hiei... stop. ...I don't want to hear it anymore." I felt shoulders tremble against me as I heard a sob. "Please... just stop..." _Her_ voice trembled on the last syllable.

My hand, halted in midair, hung there, sturdy and foreboding. The demon was staring at it with dilated pupils and a gaping mouth of utter terror. He was convulsing under the strain of the emotion, I was sure.

She sobbed against me. I felt the wetness of her tears.

The rage drained out of me like water would from a broken dam.

I stared down at the arms wrapped around me. Listened to the hiccups in her broken voice.

Slowly, I lowered my arm, and it fell limply at my side. He wasn't worth it.

I let out a sigh, and looked back up to the demon who had yet to move.

He sat there, frozen in shock and fear. I glared at him.

"You have your life, you worthless fool." The sound of my voice drew his attention to my face. He stared up at me, wide-eyed. My glare turned sharper. "Don't tempt me with it again."

It was all the incentive he needed, for he stood up quickly and scrambled into the woods like the very devil was on his heels.

I let out a deep sigh once he was completely out of sight. My shoulders sagged, and it was at that moment that I began to feel the pain I had neglected for the better part of the hour. It didn't really help that her arm was wrapped around it.

I didn't bother to move her though. I let her cry. The fault for her suffering was mine. I could at least do her the courtesy of allowing her to let out her pent-up emotions.

At least the immediate threat was gone.

...Now I had to deal with the aftermath.

* * *

AN:

Whew! Sorry for the delay everyone! I was so busy with schoolwork and everything that finding time to write was hard.

Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I hope you guys liked this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Nothin' ta see here. Just a good ol' page break. Yeeep. Enjoy chapter 6!

* * *

I was tired. The more time that passed, the more I felt it. I was exhausted. Every single one of my muscles felt like wound up springs just waiting to snap.

The pain I felt was grating. My stomach felt like a shredded mess. When I looked down, it looked just as much as it felt. What I could see of it, anyway, around her arms. And all the blood, I was covered in it. The sheer amount of it reminded me of my fight with Shigure. When I had been ripped apart. It seeped into the fabric of my black pants until I felt beads of it trailing down my legs. I let out a dull, weary sigh.

Though, I suppose, I had been in worse situations.

Still, being in worse situations didn't really help the fatigue I felt right now. I could fucking hibernate, I was so tired.

Her sobs kept me aware, and when her arms tightened around me, as she pressed her face further into my back, I let out a pained grunt.

The sound I made seemed to bring her back to the waking world. I heard her gasp. She removed her arms and leaned back against her calves to sit.

Her own weary voice followed soon after. "You're hurt," she mumbled through a hitch in her speech.

I looked over my shoulder at her. Her face was reddened and raw from assault and tears. Her stare was empty and lost, as if her mind was miles away. I watched her lips quiver around the next words she spoke, "It's my fault."

My exhaustion gave way to mild agitation. But I didn't have it in me to be too irritable at the moment. I was much too tired for that. The adrenaline high from the fight was gone now.

I turned around to face her. The motion caused me to stumble, and I ended up falling haphazardly to my knees. The jarring motion caused my wound to bleed more. I felt it stream down my abdomen in rivulets.

She carried on with her ramblings as if she hadn't even realized my shift in direction, or how close I had gotten to her. She just lowered her arms to her lap and focused her broken eyes to the ground.

I let my own head hang down with the force of my fall. It felt as heavy as lead, and took an immense amount of effort to lift so I could stare at her face.

"Stupid woman..." I muttered. My abrasive tone did little to help the situation, but I felt too drained to really muster up the will to care. Not that I would have regardless. I saw her shoulders tense, and her hands grasp at the material covering her thighs, but her expression didn't waver.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled again.

I shook my head in frustration. The action brought about an ache in my temple. I tried to ignore it.

I didn't have the patience to deal with anymore of the odd mood she had been in the past few days, acting like some kind of victim. As I thought on that, however, I suppose I could have appreciated that she was at least talking again. Either way, I took an aggressive approach.

"Did you do it?"

She didn't answer me, but I did hear a sharp intake of breath. She stayed silent, and kept her head downcast.

If I didn't feel as if I could pass out at any given moment, I may have waited longer for an answer. I might have scoffed, and shrugged it off. Allowed the moment to pass, because it wouldn't have mattered. Shouldn't have mattered. She was just a single... human woman after all.

But I was tired. Perhaps in more ways than I was willing to realize.

I moved my hand and grabbed ones of hers. The action seemed to startle her, for she jumped. But I didn't give her much time to recover from it, because I pressed the hand to the wound that had been torn apart far too many times to count.

"Did you?" I asked again with a layer of force. She hadn't spoken to me for the past few days until now. I wasn't about to let her recede back into herself. Not when I had put forth so much effort already.

There was another gasp from her as she felt the torn flesh beneath her palm. She kept her hand still, and only after a short time did she move it. She moved her hand along the injury without the aid of my own, feeling every jagged, ripped edge. Her hand began to tremble.

"No," she started quietly. "I didn't." Her voice was weak. Whether because of shock, I didn't know.

I glared at her as I said, "Then don't be sorry. I don't want your sorry." My voice had lost some of its edge, but still came out stern.

I wanted her to get over herself already. She had wasted enough of my time. But now that I think on that, the answers I had been so hungry for seemed so far away now. Trivial, even, in the wake of this attack. We're lucky we're both alive.

I leaned forward, and felt my whole body begin to sag. "You have no reason to be sorry." My voice came out much softer than I had been expecting. Perhaps I was far more exhausted than I thought.

She moved her hand away from me. I looked up to her with heavy eyes. I hadn't even realized they had fallen to stare at the contours of her lap.

When I looked up, I saw her expression still looked blank.

For a moment, I felt a sense of defeat at seeing it. After all this time, she still remained in the same, broken state as that day? Would nothing break the stupid spell I had unwittingly cast on her?

As I glared at her, her face remained stoic. After a moment of continued silence, my shoulders slouched and I sighed.

I suppose no, nothing would.

An alien feeling assaulted me at the thought. I furrowed my brow in disdain at it. Why did it matter to me if she snapped out of her trance or not? I did what I sought out to do. I saved her, didn't I? Was my debt not repaid? If so, then why the hell did I still feel so... guilty?

I let out a pained grunt, and rested my hand flat against the earth. The other I used to grasp onto my side when my injury reminded me of its presence with a nasty ache.

Yes, it was repaid. Why should I continue to feel any measure of guilt? Because I had made her cry? Ridiculous.

I didn't get to continue my self-assessment for too long, however, because there was a hiccup in her mask. I looked back up to her face at the sound, and saw her lips begin to tremble, and her brow incline. I stared at her curiously.

She stayed where she sat, motionless, but her whole body had begun to shake. I watched her hands come up to her chest to grasp at her arms. Was she cold? In pain? I wasn't sure.

I didn't get a chance to inquire about it, because it was then she began to cry, unbidden. Her hands moved from her arms to cup over her face as she sobbed into them.

The sudden switch in demeanor caught me off guard. I didn't readily know what to make of it. I ended up moving away from her uneasily.

The first thing I took note of was that this was unlike the crying she had done before. It wasn't accompanied by a vacant look. In fact, it looked very much like the tears that that fool, blue-haired reaper would shed. All over the place and without much control, blubbering and sniffling the way one would expect of a child. I felt the reflexive urge to back up farther.

Though if I didn't know what to make of her crying, I definitely didn't know what to make of it, nor know how to react, when she suddenly moved forward to wrap her arms around me. I was far too injured to even think of moving out of the way. So I sat there, and felt her bury her face in the crook between my neck and collar bone.

My eyes widened, and I suddenly felt far more aware than just a few seconds ago. I felt her damp skin rub against mine. My body went completely rigid, and I felt every single one of my muscles go tense. My arms dangled in front of me uselessly, as I found myself at a complete loss as to what to do with them.

What the hell just happened?

"Wo-" I tried to start in sheer bewilderment, but was cut off by her choked sobs.

"Oh, Hiei," she wailed.

I looked down at her in nothing short of incredulous confusion. I would have pushed her off, but I suppose I was more surprised by the idea of someone actually having the gall to hug me, of all living, breathing things, that had me hesitating.

"What the hell-" I tried again.

"Oh, Hiei." But she cut me off.

I felt a pang of irritation. What the hell did she think she was doing?

"I was so scared," I heard her mumble into my skin. "I thought they were going to kill me."

The shock began to fade, and I stared down at her with an incredulous glower. Did she want consoling? Is that what this overly dramatic display was for? I found myself scoffing.

She had her arms wrapped around the wrong man for that.

"I thought I was going to die."

I glared at her in disdain. I really wasn't interested in listening to her drivel.

"But you didn't," I said, as I placed my hands on the sides of her rib cage to pull her off of me. I didn't much care for the contact. But the action only caused her grip around my neck to tighten. My efforts to remove her crumbled at the resistance when the wound on my stomach started to ache. I let out a groan. She was more clingy than a damn tick.

"I know I didn't... but... I... I didn't know what to do. I've never felt so helpless in my life. ...Oh God."

Her strained voice was giving me a headache. I tried to let out a steady breath, but it came out shaky. I was starting to feel lightheaded. I groaned again when I felt another stab of pain from the tear in my stomach. I closed my eyes when they became too heavy to keep open. At this rate, she'd be clinging to a dead man.

I opened them slowly to send her another glare. I lifted my arms to grab her hands this time, and pulled them off my neck before pushing her away.

"Don't dwell on things that have already passed," I told her irritably.

She sat still where I had pushed her with quivering lips. My words didn't seem to comfort her much, as she looked as if she wanted to curl up into herself. The sight was pitiful.

Though as I stared at her, my agitation waned. No matter how pathetic, I couldn't keep from letting out a weary sigh. She wouldn't have had to experience what she did if it hadn't been for my intrusion. I couldn't very well fault her for that.

"Focus on what needs to be done. Thinking about it now will only make it worse."

My resolute tone seemed to have some kind on impact on her. She stopped shaking, at any rate. I watched her as she lifted her arms to rub at her face, wiping away the moisture. Afterwards, she lowered her head and nodded.

"You're right," she said quietly.

My vision was beginning to fail me. The edges of the world were starting to get hazy. Though even through my weakening strength I managed to mutter, "I know, stupid woman."

After that, I near about lost control of my own body. I slumped forward. It had been just about involuntary. The distance between us wasn't that large, and I consequently fell towards her. My vision had went almost black during the momentary stab of nausea. I couldn't fight it.

As soon as I made contact with her, my forehead hitting her shoulder, I felt arms wrap around me. "Oh God... you're hurt," I heard her mumble, as if she hadn't realized this fact before. The idea seemed to hit her more strongly when she spoke again, louder this time, "You're _hurt_."

I let out a long groan in reply.

The next thing I heard was a lot of rustling of clothing, but I wasn't too interested in this. I was more focused on trying to get my body to obey me again.

"I... I can't find it," I heard her say. She had desperation in her tone.

I was beginning to feel even more tired. Not having to support my own weight wasn't helping me much. Even through her noisy voice, I was still on the verge of falling asleep.

"I can't find it," she reiterated more loudly. When I didn't respond to her, she shook me by the shoulders. "Hiei! You can't fall asleep. You need medical attention!"

I groaned in agitation. Could this woman not do anything with subtlety? Her high-pitched squeals could shatter glass. I can't imagine what it was doing to my eardrums.

"I can't find my salve, or the bandages. I must have lost them when those things... demons... attacked us," she said urgently. "I have more at my house. I can take you there."

I gritted my teeth when I felt a jolt of pain when she tried to move away from me to stand up. However, she didn't get very far, because when she tried to stand up, I heard her cry out in pain. The shrill yelp woke me up more than her shaking did. It sent a jolt of adrenaline through my veins. I pushed myself back upright.

When I was able to look at her, I noticed she was clutching onto her calves. I looked to them. There was quite a bit of blood that was seeping through the material of her pants. When my vision could focus, I noticed they were shredded. What the hell had those idiots done?

I grabbed onto her ankle, and pulled one of her legs to me. She let out a yelp of pain, but I ignored it. I grabbed the hem of the bottom and pulled it up.

What I saw renewed the anger I felt for those fools. Her legs were covered in lacerations. They were torn into her flesh from her ankle, all the way to her upper calf. No doubt to keep her from trying to run away. I felt my blood start to boil.

She was blind, where the hell did they think she would run? It made me want to rip their limbs off and watch them squirm.

I had to take a moment to remind myself that the demons were already dead. Ripping their limbs off would not provide the same amount of satisfaction as it would if they were still alive to experience it. A real pity.

Her choked gasps brought me back to the present. I looked up to her pained face. It seemed like she was just remembering her injuries as well. She must have been in shock to have forgotten about them.

I let go of her leg and stood up. It was difficult, but I managed it all the same. I looked to her.

"Where is this house?" I asked.

I watched as she gingerly moved her injured leg to her. She bit her lip during the process. Probably to stifle anymore cries. She moved her head in my direction.

"I... don't know how to describe where it is," she said eventually. Her answer made me feel slightly foolish. I scoffed in irritation.

"Just give me some kind of description. I'll find it."

Her face showed she was unsure. "It's... made of wood. It's a log cabin."

I grunted in acknowledgment. That's all I'd need. I took off the bandage wrapped around the Jagan and allowed it to open. I closed my eyes and let it see. I found said log cabin easily. It was fairly close. No more than fifty or so yards. I could make it there and back quickly enough.

"I'll get the supplies," I said, allowing the Jagan to close as I opened my eyes. Though just as I was about to ready myself for the journey, she cried out.

"Wait!"

I stumbled, and stopped where I stood. Though it took a great effort to stand back upright. I looked over to her with an irritated glower.

"What?" I asked in a clipped tone.

I watched as she moved her arms out in front of her. She fumbled around until her hands found me to grab onto one of my pant legs.

"Y-you're going to the cabin?" she asked.

"It will take me a far shorter amount of time than if you tried. Unless you want to bleed out on the ground," I said, and attempted to take another step forward, but I felt a tug.

"W-wait!"

I turned back to her with a grimace. "What, woman?" My patience was wearing thin. I'm surprised it'd lasted this long.

"You're not going to leave me here alone, are you?"

My grimace turned into a glare. "You need the supplies, I'll get them." I pulled my leg free from her grip this time. However, she was more persistent than I had originally given her credit for.

"Wait... please." The exhaustion in her tone gave me pause. I turned to look at her more curiously. When I did, I noticed she looked shaken. Her eyes looked hooded and worn.

And desperate.

"Don't leave me here alone," she said quietly. I continued to eye her, but I didn't move. I watched her move her head down, her black hair falling over her shoulders to shield her face. "...Please."

"It will take me no more than a second," I said, but I had lost the aggression I was feeling before. She shook her head at my words.

"No. I don't want to be alone." Her voice had started to hitch.

I didn't really understand why she was so adamant to not be left alone. The reasoning behind it eluded me. "The ones who attacked you are dead. You have nothing to fear-"

"Please, Hiei. …please. ...don't."

I closed my mouth. I stared at her with a mix of feelings. Equal parts confusion, intrigue, irritation... and perhaps a bit of... pity. I looked over in the direction of the log cabin she spoke of, then back down to her.

She just looked so... tired... small. I saw my own weariness reflected within those glassy, sightless eyes. I grimaced.

As much as I knew it would have been illogical to heed her request, I found myself unwilling to want to decline the plea. It would be easiest if I did the errand on my own. Yet, as I gave it some consideration, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I let out a frustrated growl.

"Fine," I said eventually. I walked over to stand in front of her. "Can you stand?"

Her face shone with immediate relief, but quickly turned sour. She tried to move her legs. "I-I don't think so," she said after a moment.

"Try," I told her.

She moved her head up to me, and I saw the amount of fear and anxiousness that hid there. But to her credit, she did try. She moved her legs close to herself before bracing her hands on the ground. With a deep breath, she pushed herself up. She didn't stay standing for long, however, before a cry erupted from her lips. Her legs were quick to give out from under her, but I grabbed her elbow before she had a chance to fall. I helped her lower herself back to the ground.

"It hurts too much," she said. I let out an exasperated grunt. I don't know how she was expecting to rectify our situation if she couldn't move. She at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty. "W-what should we do?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I bent down to her level. I looped one arm under her knees and gripped her around her chest with the other, then lifted her up.

She gasped at the contact, and once more when I lifted her up.

"Um, what?" she asked in surprise. I humphed.

It seemed the only alternative. If she couldn't move, then I'd just have to do it.

"If you can't carry yourself, then you leave me no choice. Feel free to walk whenever you feel less useless," I replied sardonically.

"O-oh."

My next grunt was more unimpressed by her lackluster diction. Though now that we were finally ready to depart, I actually had to start. I stared at the ground in disdain. I took a step forward.

I was quick to choke on my previously condescending words, because a feeling of nausea assaulted me with a fresh new wave. I stumbled. The added extra weight of her did me no favors. Even if she was light.

She seemed to notice my trouble, because she asked, "Hiei? Are you okay?"

I gritted my teeth and looked ahead. "I'm fine."

I walked forward, ignoring the pain. I could handle this. I had to. If I couldn't, we'd likely both die.

I stumbled along in the direction of her cabin. The walk was mostly silent, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and sounds of the forest's inhabitants. It shouldn't have taken me long, but I had to walk slow. If I didn't, I had no idea what effect it would have on the woman in my arms. She would most likely not be able to handle the strain. Especially with being injured. Also not being able to see what was happening would probably make the experience far more uncomfortable. The last thing I wanted was to give her screaming anymore ammunition.

Though now that I had to mind my speed, it gave me far too much time to think about the pain erupting from my middle. It was a throbbing ache that wouldn't subside.

I tried to think of other things. As I walked, I idly wondered how she had managed to get back and forth from me to her home all the time. It was quite a feat. It wasn't a far distance, but still fairly impressive for someone with broken eyes. I imagine she must have some kind of marker to keep track of where she was. How else would she be able to do such a thing?

It was a meaningless thought, but it at least gave me something else to think about besides the large laceration on my stomach.

"Hiei?"

I spared her a moment's glance before looking back ahead.

"What?" I asked.

She stayed silent for a time. I almost thought she had forgotten what it was she was about to say, but her words came soon after that. "I, uh... Thank you. For not leaving me behind."

I responded to her gratitude with a grunt.

We lapsed into another silence with only the crunching of leaves underfoot for noise.

"I thought you left me."

My eyes flitted down to her when she spoke so quietly, I could have mistaken her voice for the whistling of the wind through the trees. She continued after a moment. "Before... when those..." She looked pained, but pressed on. "demons attacked. …I thought you left me."

I eyed her for a short time. I looked back into the trees soon after.

"I did," I stated plainly, and it was the truth.

I felt her whole body sag against me. When I took a glance back at her, I noticed she looked drained, and perhaps a little... sad?

"Oh," was all she said. She was silent for a short moment before she asked, "Why did you come back?"

The question caught me somewhat off guard. More so because I didn't think she would pursue the topic after her initial reaction. I felt somewhat at a loss. I myself wasn't even entirely sure what persuaded me into coming back, and I didn't want to admit that I had felt any bit of guilt. I ended up letting out a dismissive grunt and a shrug.

"I forgot my cloak."

She went completely quiet after my admission. I looked down at her once more when she went still in my arms. Though when I did, I was surprised to see her lips had started to quirk upward. I stared at her warily. I wasn't sure if I would have to endure another one of her dramatic episodes.

Her lips widened into a smile. Whatever she was happy about missed me entirely.

"Now what's wrong with you?" I asked hesitantly.

She giggled. Giggled. The very idea disturbed me, let alone actually hearing it happen.

"I'm sorry. That just seemed... so much like you, I guess. I'm not sure what I was expecting," she said.

I shook my head and looked forward. It wouldn't be too much longer before we arrived at this cabin. If I didn't pass out from blood loss before then.

"Hiei?"

I near about groaned.

My response was curt. "What?"

Her face showed little remorse for her pestering. "Your beloved cloak you risked your life for is behind us. It's been sitting in the same spot for some time now."

A pang of embarrassment hit me, however small. I quickly squashed it from existence.

"Hn."

She responded to my lack of a response by resting her head against my chest. I didn't much care for the added contact, nor the smile on her face.

"Thank you, Hiei."

I merely gave a dismissive shrug.

I found the cabin not too much longer after that. It was small. Not really big enough to actually live in comfortably, but I guess it suited someone who couldn't see. A large house would have been impractical. I walked up to the door and pushed it open, stepping inside.

The inside made it seem even smaller. There was a small cot positioned next to one of the walls. There was one hall that led to a small bathroom from what I could see of it. It also seemed to lead to another small bedroom. Several old-fashioned things were adjacent to the lone cot. At least, based on my limited knowledge of human appliances. There was a wood burning stove, an old looking rocking chair, and a few other things. It didn't look like the stove had seen much use. There were some cabinets above it that contained a lot of boxed food.

I didn't bother to look around too much more than what I could immediately see. I walked towards the cot and set her down on it. She adjusted to the change with a grimace.

"Where are the supplies?" I asked of her, sparing myself any unnecessary small-talk.

"In the bathroom."

I made to get them quickly. I grabbed them off a shelf, and returned with bandages and more of the salve I had grown to hate. I went back to the cot and set the items next to her.

I looked down to my stomach. It was sullied with fresh and dried blood. Then I looked to her beaten legs.

"We're bloody," I said impassively. Her grimace worsened.

"There should be some water near the stove. I brought it in this morning." She mumbled. I went to retrieve it. I also found some rags in the bathroom. I came back and set down a bucket of water at her feet. I threw the rags next to the other things before I gingerly sat down on the cot. The immediate relief from just sitting down was palpable. I slouched against the wall, letting it support my weight. I let out a groan and closed my eyes. I really was exhausted.

I didn't get much time to relax, however, when I felt something brush up against my newly torn injury. I practically hissed at the sensation.

I opened my eyes to see she had wet one of the rags, and was dabbing at my bloodied skin. I growled at her.

"You should tend to your own injuries."

My brusque tone didn't stop her. She kept moving her hands with deliberate care across the plane of my abdomen.

"The blood is dry. I can't see it to know where to clean. Besides, yours is worse than mine," she said evenly. I stared at her hands with mild interest, the initial anger from the surprise fading. It sounded like a weak excuse to me, but I didn't bother to refute it.

However, I did speak up when she started for the salve. She gathered far too generous an amount for my liking. It wasn't too long ago to remember what happened the last time I had applied too much. I leaned up to swipe the jar from her hands.

"I am not helpless, woman. Tend to yourself."

I saw her smile as I applied a much smaller amount to the open gash. It still stung like nothing had, and I had to nearly bite off my own lip to keep myself from letting out any kind of noise.

"You weren't complaining just a few seconds ago," she said cheekily.

I turned my head to glare at her through the haze of the horrible sting of death in liquid form.

As I let the sting subside, I noticed she was trying to clean off her legs. She was doing it far too lightly. She was barely getting anything off. With every touch of the rough material of the rag, she would grimace, and pull it off immediately. She didn't seem too accustomed to having any kind of injury. I doubt she ever had one before today. Nothing that I would personally consider an injury, anyway.

After watching her do this for several more minutes, I sat up and snatched the rag from her hands.

"You aren't cleaning anything," I said to her tersely. I saw her frown. I took the rag to the injury on her leg and wiped at it. She immediately cried out in pain.

"That hurts!"

I pulled away from her quickly, as if stung, and frowned. I tossed the piece of cloth back at her. If she was going to whine that loudly, then she could deal with an infection.

I picked up the bandages to begin wrapping them around my stomach. I was able to get it done much quicker now that I was able to do it myself. By the time I finished, I noticed she hadn't tried to clean the lacerations on her legs. She had her head down with the rag in her hands, feeling the texture with her thumb. After another moment of silence, she turned her head in my direction.

"Would you... help me?" she asked quietly.

My stare turned into a glower. "You can manage-"

"I can't see."

My glower remained as I stared from the material in her hands to her injuries.

"Please," she added when I had yet to do anything. "I can't do it by myself."

I sighed in mild irritation. She was going to suffocate me with that word. I didn't know which I disliked more, the fact that she wielded it like a weapon, or that this was the second time it worked.

I grabbed the rag from her hands with a low grumble, and reached for one of her legs. Before I lifted it, I said to her, "Don't whine then."

She nodded with evident apprehension. I grabbed her ankle, but made sure to do so slowly, and with more care. I grabbed the back of her calf so I could lift her leg up to rest over my lap. It would be easier this way. She steeled her face into a deep frown, but didn't yell out when I started to wipe and dab at her skin.

"Hiei?" I heard her ask with a strained edge to her voice. I didn't respond, not taking my eyes off of my task. "Why-" She groaned when I dabbed at one of the deeper cuts. "Why did those demons attack us? Why did they want to hurt you so badly?"

I looked to her face before turning my attention back to her leg. I humphed. "Because they're fools that had a death wish," I said as I wiped more carefully at the deep cut. When I looked back to her face, she didn't look pleased.

"There must be a reason," she said more quietly.

I stared at her with a lifted eyebrow. "Does it matter? They're dead."

She looked slightly disgruntled by my bluntness, and turned her face away from me. "I wish you wouldn't say that."

"Say what?" I asked, feeling vaguely curious.

"That they're dead. Like you're proud of it."

I let out a humph as I moved to another cut. "They attacked, I retaliated. They deserved it."

She turned even further away from me. "No one deserves death."

I didn't respond to that. Instead, I continued to clean the wounds on her leg, then did the same to the other. It was quiet for a time before I spared another glance at her despondent face. I scowled. She was far too naive. I couldn't fathom why she would care so much about a few idiots that had assaulted her. It didn't make much sense to me.

"They were just a band of upstarts that had made it their goal to eradicate anyone who they thought felt differently than they did. They're not worth mentioning," I explained with derision. Those fools deserved far more than an easy death. As far as I saw it, I did them a service.

She turned back to me with a furrowed brow. "Why would they do that? What were they after?"

I sighed before turning a bored look upon her. Now she was back to concerning herself with things that didn't involve her? I would have thought humans would have avoided such things.

"I don't know why you want to know so badly. It doesn't even concern you," I said as I turned back to the lacerations. Most of them weren't so bad. Just a couple went somewhat deep.

"They almost killed me, Hiei."

I faltered slightly while wiping away the blood on her other leg. I pulled away from her and tossed the rag down with the rest of the sullied supplies with a more pronounced grimace. She made a decent point.

"There are some demons that exist that don't obey the chain of command, even though they lost the chance to rule by fair means," I said.

She followed my voice by turning towards me. "What does that mean?"

I scoffed dismissively. This wasn't a conversation that I would have expected to have with a human. "Where I am from, no demons are allowed to harm humans by order of the highest in command. Someone who earned the right to rule by defeating everyone below him. Idiots like those three demons are too weak to make a difference, but they don't like how things are. They'll resort to any underhanded tactics to get what they want. They're like children throwing a tantrum."

She seemed to consider what I had told her. "They don't like humans?" she asked with a touch of apprehension.

I smirked. That was quite the understatement. "They hate humans. They think them to be worthless and undeserving of any kind of rights, save for their purposes, and to eat."

I saw her face grow pale. "W-what?"

I turned away from her. Serves her right to be scared. She's the one who wanted to know. "Like I said, it doesn't matter. They're dead now."

She grew quiet for a drawn-out moment. I leaned back against the wall. I would have preferred the forest, but I suppose this would do. It wasn't the worst house I had been subjected to staying in. I could have fallen asleep, if not for her pervasive voice.

"So they attacked you because you're on the human's side?" she asked. "They called you a human sympathizer before."

I was quick to scowl at the thought. "I hate humans." After saying that, I noticed her expression had changed to one of slight alarm, if not a tad hurt. My anger faded at seeing it. I looked away from her. I don't know what compelled me to add to my statement, mostly because I didn't deem it all that necessary, but I did so anyway. "Most of them."

She relaxed somewhat as she said, "Oh," in a quiet voice. Then I heard her ask, "Um, Hiei?" I groaned. She was holding the jar of ointment in her hands, looking lost. "Will you help me?"

My dread fueled frown turned into a smirk. I sat up and took the jar from her hands.

I spread the ointment over her legs, relishing in every one of her gasps and yelps, at least, until she near about passed out. I decided it wouldn't have been quite as amusing if she had.

She was in the process of recovering from the ointment's sting when I had gotten off the cot to wrap her legs with the bandages. I don't know why I even bothered. I guess because I already figured she'd pester me about that too. It wouldn't take me very long anyway.

"You're... really good at this," she said, as she rolled around the ankle of the leg I had just wrapped, testing it.

"Hn." I didn't have much else to say to the praise. Living in Makai didn't afford me too many other talents.

She stayed silent while I wrapped her other leg. When I was finished, I stood up and sat back down on the cot. I leaned back and closed my eyes. The exhaustion was beginning to take over with full force. I needed to sleep.

"Hiei?" I heard her ask, but this time I didn't bother to respond in any kind. I simply tuned her out. But I ended up not really needing to, because she didn't call out to me again.

I vaguely felt a shift on the cot, but I didn't pay it much mind. I was already close to sleep. I didn't have to wait very long before my exhaustion took me. I fell asleep faster than I had in a long while.

* * *

AN:

I know I've said this for the past two chapters now, but uh, I'M SORRY FOR THE WAIT. A lot has been happening in the real life. But now I'm on my spring break from classes at my university! Yay! So now, hopefully I'll have the next chapter on time. Wish me luck. :'D

Another reason why this chapter was kinda late was because, I had written a good chunk of it while I was at work on my laptop, but I came back not too long ago and noticed that the file had somehow become corrupted. Not sure how it happened. Saved it and everything, but the file freaking exploded. So I lost a lot of this chapter. It was kinda discouraging at first, but I managed to push through it and rewrite it. Which you have now read. Woot.

So, this chapter feels a little iffy to me. It might undergo edits here and there. Not sure. I need to give myself some time away from it before I can make any kind of assessments on how I'd prefer it. Let me know what you think and stuff.

I did, however, want to write this chapter because I wanted to write Hana's reaction to the traumatic event that happened to her. And there was a lot of bonding. I love me some bonding.

Next chapter will have more happening! For anyone curious as to whether or not she will be introduced to the rest of the cast, have no fear, she will meet someone in the next chapter! So yeah, look forward to that and stuff.


	7. Chapter 7

_Paaage breaaaak. Are you having a lovely day? Yes? I'm glad!_

* * *

"I, uh... I think we should be pretty close now."

I looked over to scowl at the woman who spoke next to me. She had one arm spread out wide while her other hand was grasped onto my bicep. I was irritated, but I guess that much was obvious. Who could blame me, honestly, when I had nothing to glare at but a slew of human faces as far as I could see.

"You said the same thing the last two streets," I grumbled.

Humans parted to get around us with curious glances cast over their shoulders as they passed. I paid them no mind, but it was impossible not to take note of their blatant staring. I could only imagine how foolish we must look.

"Yes, well, if you could read the street signs right, we'd already be there."

"Don't blame your incompetence on me, woman."

I could hardly fathom how I had managed to get myself into this situation, and why I was still actively participating. Allowing a blind woman to escort me around a human city wasn't exactly the smartest idea I had ever followed along with. And I had been witness to quite a number of idiotic ideas. Being an acquaintance of Yusuke Urameshi and that idiot Kuwabara said a lot of my history.

I felt a pull on my arm when she nearly tripped. With her being out of the forest, I noticed she was far more clumsy.

"I can't see! If anything, _you're_ the one who's incompetent."

I scoffed.

"I don't make a habit of traversing your mundane human cities."

I felt another tug, this time in the opposite direction.

"Okay, first of all, this is a town, not a city. And second of all, it's not even that hard! Just read the signs and I'll be able to know exactly where we are."

I let out a growl at the slight.

"If it's not hard, then why can you not determine where we are when I _am_ able to locate your stupid street signs?"

She was silent for a moment before she spoke sheepishly, "I don't know _all_ of them."

"Incompetent."

"Hey! Cut me _some_ slack here. You only said the name of _one_ street two blocks ago. There are intersections. It's not my fault I thought we were on the wrong street before when you gave me the name of the one we weren't even on."

"How the hell am _I_ supposed to know anything about your idiotic, human transportation laws? I don't _need_ a sign to know where I am."

"Then were are we, Hiei?"

I was suddenly overtaken with an irritating cough.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she concluded.

I huffed in indignation.

"I can't use any of my abilities out in public. Otherwise, I'd have been there the moment you said the name of this store we're supposed to be in right now."

She smirked at me. Actually had the audacity to _smirk. At me._

"Sounds a lot like an excuse for incompetence to me."

I sent her an apathetic grimace.

"I don't know why I'm bothering to entertain this foolish endeavor when I can just leave." As I said this, I made a move to step aside from the way we were walking. She was quick to wrap both her arms around mine.

"Okay, okay, okay! Just uh, read a sign," she said as she gestured outward, nearly hitting a passerby in the process. The human sent her a deadly glower. "I'm pretty sure I know where we are now. It shouldn't take us too much longer."

I let out an exasperated sigh as I glanced around the area. The sooner we found this building, the sooner I could leave. My eyes landed on a sign soon after.

"Forty."

I looked over to her. When I did, I noticed her face had scrunched up in confusion.

"Forty?" she asked, then her features smoothed out into an unimpressed frown. "Hiei... that's a speed limit sign."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what that means? You said look for a sign, I found one. It's on the same street."

"It regulates traffic speed. Look for one with a name."

" _All_ of these signs have numbers in them."

"Oh, for heavens sake, just _read_ them."

"You said read _a_ sign _._ Now I have to read them _all_?"

"Well now I don't know what you're reading. Next thing you'll say is 'stop.' …That is not a street name, by the way."

I let out a loud, gruff sigh.

This is what I had been subjected to for the past thirty minutes. It wasn't exactly an experience that I would readily want to repeat.

Many might wonder, how is it that _I_ had come to be in a situation like this one? I myself wasn't too entirely sure.

However, I suppose the most likely reason of how I had come to be in this scenario spawns from a talent I had recently discovered. Not one of mine, but one of _hers_. A talent I hadn't given much thought to until recently.

I should have been more aware of it on the day of when those three idiots had attacked us in the forest. With the way she was able to wield her unseen weapon: the word, 'please,' and the way she threw it around without the slightest bit of remorse.

Or perhaps I should have realized it even sooner than that. When she had first shown me her ability to cry on command back when I had made the mistake of showing her an image of myself.

Both of these occurrences had affected me in some way. I just hadn't foreseen how potent the two would be when combined.

Indeed, these two elements had melded together to form a tactic so manipulative, I found myself unable to _not_ get entangled in its ruthless snare.

It had all started a few days ago, on the day I had woken up from after the attack.

* * *

 _I remember I had just woken from a deep sleep. I remember smelling the fragrance of flowers, but I hadn't opened my eyes to grow accustomed to the waking world to properly figure out why. The sweet smell had wafted into my nose with every inhale, though I hadn't been opposed to it. It had been... pleasant._

 _My mind had been groggy. I imagine I had to have been sleeping for several hours. Maybe even days. It'd certainly felt like it._

 _It had felt as if a weight had been placed on my eyes, my mind had been so unfocused and drowsy with remnants of sleep. There had been an occasional breeze that had touched my bare skin every so often, as if coming from an open window._

 _I remember it had been peaceful. It had brought a sense of comfort to me I wasn't used to, and had made me hesitant to want to break the spell._

 _But I'd known I would've had to open my eyes at some point._

 _With great contempt, I had slowly opened my eyes. Had I opened them any faster, the sunlight that had spilled in from the window overhead would have been blinding. I had to squint to adjust._

 _The first thing I'd seen had been a figure, and I had to blink twice to focus my blurry vision to make out what it had been. But even when I had finally been able to see it clearly, it had not registered in my foggy mind as to what it had been. The only thing that I'd known for certain was that it had been black._

 _It was only then that I had tried to move. I'd been quick to realize I was being weighted down. By what, I hadn't known._

 _Giving up on moving, I had decided to figure out what it was that had been in front of my face. I had lifted my arm to reach out to it. It had been the only thing that hadn't felt weighted down by whatever it was that had kept me rooted in place._

 _My hand had moved over to touch the black mass. I'd done so lightly, and with great care. The object had felt soft and silky. Still confused, I had gathered some of it in my fingers to pull it up. It'd felt even more soft when it had slipped through my fingers like water._

 _...Hair?_

" _...mmm..."_

 _I had heard a groan, and had felt a shift against me that had startled me. It had only been then that I'd decided to look down._

 _And there she had been, cuddled up to my chest as if I were some kind of living blanket._

 _My reaction had been immediate._

 _I liked to think that my reaction had been a warranted fight or flight response to a stimuli I hadn't been expecting upon first waking up from a several hour sleep._

 _I had jumped, trying to get as much space in-between her and myself as I could. As a result, I had ended up falling backwards off the cot._

 _The last thing I remember before I had passed out from the pain of nearly tearing the injury on my stomach from my sudden movement, had been her face peeking out from over the side of the cot as she said,_

" _Hiei?"_

* * *

" _Here, drink this," she'd said._

 _She had shoved a mug of something in my face. I'd glared at her, then at the mug she'd presented to me. She hadn't moved until I had taken it from her waiting hands._

 _I'd been seated on the cot, picking at the scabbing ends of the tear on my abdomen when she had brought the mug to me._

 _I remember looking down at the contents of it with apprehension. It'd been a light green, and had smelled sweet. I'd taken a hesitant sip, but as soon as the liquid had hit my tongue, I had immediately spit it out._

" _What in every hell is_ this _supposed to be?" I had asked in disgust. My face had scrunched up in clear disdain._

" _It's green tea," she'd said with a sour look on her face. I imagine now that she probably hadn't been too pleased with me spitting out liquid in a spray all over her. At the time, I'd been more concerned with the awful taste. "My mother brings it to me when she comes by to check on me. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste it." She had said the last part with a pointed expression._

" _It tastes like ass."_

" _Good to know you know what an ass tastes like. I'm afraid that's more information than I cared to know about you, Hiei."_

 _I had sent her a scathing glare for the remark. However little good it did. "Don't you have anything normal, woman?" I hadn't been particularly thirsty, but at that moment, I'd wanted to cleanse my defiled taste buds._

 _I had watched her cross her arms over her chest in defiance. "You always call me that. I have a name, you know. It's Hana. Maybe if you used it, I'd get you something else."_

" _Woman."_

" _Hana."_

" _Woman."_

" _ **Hana.**_ _"_

" _ **Stupid**_ _woman."_

 _She had thrown her arms up in the air in a huff as she'd muttered, "Stupid man," under her breath._

* * *

 _I had been lying on the cot in silence one night. I hadn't been able to sleep, so I had my eyes closed with one of my legs crossed over the other, and my arms crossed behind my head. The only noticeable sound had been coming from the chirps of the crickets from outside the window._

 _It'd been stifling._

 _I hadn't been able to keep myself from fidgeting. I had rolled my ankle, shifted from one leg to another, stretched my arms. Nothing had really worked to ease the urge to move. It'd been too damn quiet that night too. Normally, the silence would have brought me peace, but in this case, I would have preferred the distraction._

 _I had let out a restless sigh soon after, and had shifted on the cot to lie on my side. I remember feeling bored, and had begun to yearn for somewhere other than where I had been. At the time, it'd felt as if I'd been in that forest for a damn eternity. I'd been there for weeks. The feeling of wanting to roam the winding, twisted woods of Makai had been strong. To feel the adrenaline coarse through my body from the vile wind that would fight against me as I ran from the creatures of the demon world who were brave enough, and strong enough, to have a go against_ me. _To smell the smoke of their charred remains when I inevitably won._

 _I had flexed my hand against the sheets beneath me, then had grasped a fistful of the material with a tight grip. I'd heard some of it shred, but it hadn't given me that much comfort._

 _I had wanted to kill something. To fight. Those three idiots hadn't been nearly enough to sate the growing urge._

 _No, I had wanted to fight someone worthy. Someone strong enough to test me. I'd gone so long without the thrill._

 _If it hadn't been for her, that woman, I would've already been in Makai by now. Instead, I'd been letting her drag me through that damn forest. As if there weren't other things I could have been doing. Things I could be doing now. No doubt Mukuro wasn't pleased with my extended absence._

 _I still hadn't even gotten the answers to the questions that had kept my mind so occupied before._

 _Yes, and it was all because of_ her.

 _I had glared over my shoulder at the woman._

 _She hadn't been too far away from me. She had been seated on the opposite side of the cot reading a book made of dots. I still find the idea strange no matter how many times she had explained it to me. When I'd asked her what it was, she'd told me it was called braille. Whatever the hell that was supposed to be. A book for the blind. It sounded ridiculous._

 _I'd rolled back over with an irritated grunt._

 _I had only been lying on my side for several more seconds before I'd quickly come to the conclusion that I didn't want to be there any longer. Any nagging feeling I'd had left from when I had nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and think about the weighted words she had spoken to me all those days ago, before the attack, had been snuffed out by the instinctual yearning to escape the wretched place._

 _I'd pushed myself up to sit, and rolled my shoulders, then stood up from the cot. My shuffling had attracted the attention of the woman that had been beside me. She'd called out to me as soon as I had started to make my way to the door._

 _"Hiei? What are you doing?"_

 _I'd made it to the door, and had turned to her to glare. "I'm leaving."_

 _Her face had looked surprised and panicked when I had told her of my intentions. She had closed the book to move it to the side so she could stand._

 _"What? But... why? So suddenly?"_

 _My following shrug to her questions had been out of indifference._

 _"I'm sick of this world. I'm tired of sitting here all day doing nothing," I had said. I hadn't needed to explain myself to her, but she'd been making a habit out of getting responses from me in some way. At least that way, I had more control on how much she knew._

 _With that said, I had opened the door to attempt to walk outside. But before I'd made one step, she had rushed over to me, stumbling, and had wedged herself between me and the threshold. In her rush, she had nearly tackled me instead of getting in my way. She'd almost fallen over too, but had stood up straight as soon as she'd managed to regain her balance._

 _"But! You can't go!"_

 _I had stared at her incredulously after her exclamation. It still humored me now to think that she thought she could have actually stopped me._

 _"And why is that?" I'd asked somewhat mockingly. But the urgency in her tone had intrigued me slightly. It'd been the only reason I hadn't pushed her out of my way. She wouldn't have exactly been a challenging obstacle._

 _Her eyes had widened, and she had looked panicked again. It had been as if she hadn't expected me to ask, and when she'd had to answer, had quickly choked up._

 _"I... uhm," she had mumbled._

 _My patience had been quicker to wane that day. I had immediately went from intrigued to annoyed by her stuttering._

 _"You uhm what, fool?"_

 _As I had continued to stare at her, I had noticed her face had started to flush a red hue._

 _The next words that had come out of her mouth had been unintelligible gibberish. I wouldn't have been able to discern it from another language entirely._

 _"What?" I'd asked her in irritated confusion._

 _Her face had went even more red, and she had moved her face down and out of my view._

 _"I... have something important I wanted to tell you," she had said quietly, but louder._

 _I had stood there and considered her a moment. Then I spoke, "If it was important enough for you to nearly attack me for it, why didn't you tell me this important something earlier?"_

 _She had seemed nervous and jittery after my question. She hadn't been able to stop moving around on the heels of her feet._

 _"I just... didn't really know how to word it properly before," she'd replied._

 _I had stared at her curiously. I have to admit, at the time, I'd been interested. I have my own suspicions on what she had wanted to say. Mainly, if she'd been about to tell me what had been on her mind before the attack. I'd been pleased to think that I might get my answers after all, as well as leave without much hassle. So I'd told her so, "I'm interested. Go on."_

 _At my words, she'd flushed even more. The redness had traveled all the way down her neck and to her ears._

 _"It's uh... it's just..."_

 _Intrigue had been quick to turn back into frustration, and I'd growled when she had went back to her stuttering. "Spit it out, woman."_

 _She had jumped slightly at my brusque interruption, then had moved her head up so I could see her face again. She'd looked terribly uneasy._

 _By the look that had been on her face, she hadn't seemed too keen on continuing, as there had been a long silence that had followed. Even now, I'm still not sure what had caused her strange reaction, but I've since given up on attempting to understand her. It wasn't worth the effort._

 _I'd just about given up on her ever speaking when she had blurted out, "I wanted to tell you that I li-... that I think I might be... that I really..." There had been an even longer pause, then her face had turned sheepish, "...want to take you to this local cafe I know of in town so you can try out drinks! I know you said you didn't like the green tea before, so I thought there might be something else you'd like!"_

 _The only thing I'd been able to pick up during her spouted nonsense had been the pauses in-between. It had taken me a moment to put together the bits and pieces of her rushed babbling into something that could have actually been considered coherent._

 _When I finally had, I'd sent her an incredulous glower. The only thing that had crossed my mind had been, had she really stopped me for_ that? _Honestly._

 _I'd pushed past her without a second thought. She'd nearly tripped, but had surprised me with her reflexes when she had been quick to wrap her arms around my chest to stop me._

" _Wait, wait, wait!"_

 _I'd stopped moving, and had sent a glare over my shoulder._

" _Get off me," I'd said as I had attempted to peal her arms off from around my torso, but the appendages had just kept latching back on as if she were some tentacled creature from the sea._

" _But! There's something else I wanted to say!" she'd exclaimed._

 _I'd merely scoffed. "I'm no longer interested in your drivel. Now release me before I break these blasted arms of yours."_

 _She'd been quick to let me go after that, and I had begun to walk without casting another glance behind me._

 _At least, I hadn't, not until I'd heard loud sniffling. I hadn't made it that far before the sound had started to pick up in volume. It had made my shoulders go tense with apprehension. It sounded like crying, and her crying had spelled nothing good for me as of late. I'd stopped to turn around, and had glanced warily back in her direction._

 _What I had seen had been her with her hands raised to rub at her dull eyes while she had stood there blubbering for all she was worth._

 _But that hadn't even been the ridiculous part. That had come soon after._

 _"I can't believe you would leave me here alone right now." She had started._

 _I'd stared at her as if she were some crazed beast that had snapped._

" _What if more demons come back? What if I get eaten? I don't want to get eaten, Hiei, I'm too young!"_

 _An eyebrow had risen to nearly meet my hairline at the display. "What the hell are you on about?" I had asked, but she had ignored me in favor of making herself look like a fool._

 _"And I don't even taste very good, but they aren't going to listen to me. They're just going to eat first and ask questions later!" she had continued to wail._

 _My eye had started to twitch._

 _To say I'd felt horribly perturbed would have been an understatement. It had been like standing in front of train wreck and watching the resulting explosion. Utterly grotesque, yet strangely satisfying._

 _She'd quieted down for a moment, and I had shifted uncomfortably. I suppose she'd heard me, because her crying had come back stronger._

 _"Oh, Hiei! Please don't leave me!" She'd removed her hands from her face and had moved her head up in my direction. Her eyes had looked watery and huge. It had reminded me of a kicked dog. I hate dogs._

 _She'd slapped her hands back over her eyes. "I'll be scared and alone!"_

 _I had let out an exasperated groan, and had contemplated how far I would've had to run before I wouldn't have been able to hear her pitiful wailing anymore. Then again, with her shrill voice, it probably would've chased me all the way through the demon world. I wouldn't have been surprised._

 _"Oh, please!"_

 _I'd grunted in irritation, and had crossed my arms over my chest. Her yelling had started to give me a headache._

 _"Fine. If it'll get your pathetic racket to stop. But I only intend to stay for one more day. I'm leaving by the next-" I had just barely gotten to finish my sentence when I'd felt arms wrap around me. I'd looked down in surprise to see the woman's gleefully delighted face without a trace of tears. It'd irked me._

" _Thank you, Hiei! I knew you'd stay!" she'd exclaimed._

 _I'd stared down at her as if she had grown a third appendage out of her forehead. "I'm not-"_

" _You're the best!"_

" _What..."_

" _Oh, I'm so glad!"_

 _I don't think I could recall a time I had felt more trapped. "...Let go of me."_

 _Indeed, she'd tricked me with her crocodile's tears. It had made me sneer in disdain at the thought. But at that point, I'd already given my word._

 _It didn't help that she'd completely ignored my command to cease her touching. She was far too damn handsy. Maybe touch was the best way for her to see the world around her, but it didn't mean she could do so whenever she pleased._

 _...I still couldn't believe I'd let her manipulate me so easily._

 _"You know, the only reason those demons attacked us was because I was here. Demons are drawn to my energy. Especially the ones who crave human meat," I'd said darkly._

 _I'd relished in the way she had went completely stiff against me. I had smirked, right before I had stepped aside to let her fall to the ground._

* * *

"...Cafe and diner," I muttered.

"Thank God. I almost thought we'd never find it."

Those days had led me to where I am now, standing in front of a human 'cafe.'

I'm not sure how we made it, but unfortunately, we did.

It took a great amount of effort on my part to get myself to walk inside. There had been a moment where I had to remind myself that I had actually agreed to this nonsense before I finally did enter the building.

Once inside, I was quick to locate a table farthest away from as many unwitting humans as possible. We sat across from each other, and I leaned on the table to glare out of the window we were seated next to, attempting to ignore the scene around me. I may have unwittingly agreed to this torture, but that by no means meant that I was going to try to pretend to enjoy it.

It was only when I felt a chill run up my spine that I finally took note of my surroundings. It felt like I was being watched.

When I looked around, I noticed several heads were turned in our direction. Apparently, I was the most fascinating, because I had attracted quite a number of their stares. I sent them scathing glares in return. It was enough to scare most of them into minding their own business, save for the brave, who attempted to be more inconspicuous about it.

"Nice atmosphere, isn't it? I feel so relaxed."

I let out an irritated huff at the woman's words and turned to continue to glare out of the window.

It wasn't long after sitting down that I heard someone come close to the table we were seated at.

"Hello! What can I get for you-" the bubbly voice of another woman began. I didn't bother to look or respond. Though when I heard a small gasp, I did turn to look. My eyes found a younger-looking human woman standing next to the table, and I noticed her own eyes were trained on me.

They raked over my form. It wasn't a very subtle once over. Though, judging by her flustered appearance, there hadn't been any sexual motivation behind it. She just looked shocked. Her eyes did linger for a time on my bare chest, however. But when she looked back up and noticed she had my attention, she gasped again, and hid meekly behind the small notebook in her hands.

"Wh-what can I-I... get for you two t-today?" she finally finished.

I scoffed. Humans were so easily ruffled by the most minor of things.

I looked over to the woman who had dragged me here expectantly. She hadn't spoken. She looked momentarily confused by the waitress's floundering.

"Uh, we'll have two bubble teas, please," she'd said after a time.

"O-oh! Of course! I'll get them right away!" the waitress said before scampering off like a mouse being chased by a cat.

The blind woman still looked confused after the waitress had left. "What the heck was that all about? She sounded scared."

I shrugged, but then remembered she couldn't see the action. "I don't know," I responded irritably.

As I said this, I overheard three voices from afar. One sounded like the server woman.

"Oh my _God_ , do you _see_ that guy?!" the one that sounded like the waitress spoke.

"What guy? ...Oh... whoa! Check him out! Look at that tattoo! That looks sick!" Came a second voice.

"What!? Are you joking? Now's not the time to play around, Rin! He's got red eyes. _Red_ eyes!"

"What? Really? Oh man, I gotta go see."

"No! Don't go over there!"

"Oh, c'mon. I bet they're just contacts. Maybe he's one of those goth dudes."

"He looks like trouble," the third voice came in.

"Should we tell the manager?"

"What?! Why!? For sitting there? C'mon Seiko, leave the man alone."

"Seriously, Rin? He doesn't even have a shirt on! Mai is right, he looks like a thug."

"But them abs, though."

I tuned them out with a grimace. _Humans._

It wasn't too much longer after that, that the drinks were brought to us. The waitress placed them gingerly on the table, and I glared at her for effect. She let out a timid _eek_ before running off.

"That lady is awfully strange," the woman across from me said, and I grunted in acknowledgment. I was inclined to agree.

"She's annoying," I voiced.

She chuckled in response. "You find everything annoying." When I didn't bother to respond to her comment, she continued, "Now try the tea and tell me if you like it."

I looked down at the paper cup in front of me. It looked just like the last tea I had been presented with. It just wasn't green this time. I scowled at it before picking it up to taste it. And just like the last time, it was bad.

"It's disgusting," I said with a grimace.

"Aw, really?" She asked. I looked up to see her slightly disheartened expression. "This is one of my favorites. Maybe you're just not a tea person."

I gave a dismissive grunt, and leaned my chin against my hand. I didn't much care for _anything_ this world had to offer. I wasn't all that surprised to find out I wasn't a 'tea person.'

"Well, if you don't like tea, then I can think of other things," she said, and began to wave her arm about as she called out, "Waitress!"

Someone new came by our table. Another woman, but one with a less timid look than the last one.

"Hello, darlings. I'm Rin, and I'll be your new server for today. Did you guys want something else?"

The blind woman across from me looked surprised by the new voice as she asked, "Oh. What happened to the other lady?"

"She forgot where she put her manners. Don't worry about her!"

"Oh, okay," the blind woman started, sounding confused. "Well, can we get a hot chocolate, miss Rin?"

"Comin' right up!" the waitress exclaimed, and left the table.

After the waitress was gone, my self-imposed companion spoke up. "Hm. I don't remember the staff being so unorganized the last time I came here," she said offhandedly. I merely let out an uninterested huff, and resumed my scowling at the unsuspecting humans that walked by the window.

This waitress came back quicker than the other one, and placed a new cup down on the table. "Here ya go, honey. Be careful though. It's a little hot."

I looked over to glare at the server for the ridiculous term, but picked up the cup.

"You can't go wrong with hot chocolate. There's no way you couldn't like it," I heard _her_ say. I don't know why she was so adamant about me trying human drinks.

I moved it close to me, and I could smell the sugar rolling off of it with every swirl of steam. From that alone I knew I wouldn't like it. Still, I tried it. Though it only confirmed my thoughts.

"I don't like it. It's too sweet," I said as I nearly tossed the cup down.

The woman across from me looked beside herself with surprise. "Really? You _don't_ like hot chocolate?"

I don't know why humans always did that. As if asking a second time would make me realize the folly in my first choice. Why would I say something I didn't mean? "No," I reiterated.

She looked mystified, but managed to turn her attention to the waitress to ask, "Can we get a mocha?"

"Yeah, sure. Be right back."

Once the waitress was gone, she spoke, "If you don't like chocolate, maybe you'll like a coffee flavor." I let out a humph of indifference. I highly doubted it.

The waitress returned, and a new cup was placed before me.

I tasted it, I nearly spit it out, I didn't like it.

"Okay, how about a latte?" The blind woman asked.

I disliked this one even more.

"A vanilla shake!"

I disliked this one the most.

"A strawberry milkshake?"

I disliked this one equally as much.

"You just don't like anything, do you?" she finally asked me after what felt liked the hundredth drink. It might as well have been. It wouldn't have made much of a difference to me. Just one was already far too much. The inside of my mouth already felt coated in a thick layer of sugary grime.

I sent her a glare. "I don't like any of your sugar infested beverages, no."

The blind woman looked exasperated with my reply. The waitress just looked pissed off. It was actually kind of amusing.

"One more."

My amusement faded, and I looked to the woman across from me in irritation. "Are you not satisfied? I've humored this senseless endeavor longer than even I thought I would. I don't want any more of these," I said as I turned my glower on the accumulation of mostly filled cups that were pushed to one side of the table.

"Just one more. That's it. I promise," she said to me before turning her attention to the server. "Can we get the darkest, blackest coffee you have? No sugar, no cream, just straight, black coffee."

The waitress looked irritated, but complied.

The blind woman didn't speak. She sat across from me with a determined look on her face and her arms crossed.

When the waitress came back, she had a plate in her hands with a mug on top of it. She took great care to not spill it, or touch the mug at all, and placed it in front of me before standing back.

"Be careful with this one, it's really-"

I disregarded the server's words in favor of getting this experience over with. We'd been here for far too long, and I dare say I was beginning to miss the damn forest. I grabbed the mug, ignoring its handle, and downed about half of it in one gulp.

I moved it away, not intending to like it at all, but as the taste began to hit me, I quickly realized it wasn't that bad. Interestingly enough, I had to take another sip to confirm it. I swirled it around on my tongue, tasting it, before letting it wash down the back of my throat. The heat was welcomed, as I detested the coldest drinks that were shoved in front of my face the most.

In all actuality, it was fairly good. The taste was strong, and had a bite to it that was both bitter and satisfying. Not at all like the drinks I had been subjected to for the past thirty or so minutes since we stepped foot into this awful place.

"...hot," the waitress finished.

When I placed it down, I saw the waitress staring at me with a perturbed look. As soon as she saw that I noticed, she scurried away from our table.

"So? What's the final verdict?" I looked over to the blind woman who spoke with thinly veiled anticipation in her tone. "Do you like it?"

I hesitated a moment, deliberating on how to reply. She'd probably gloat if I outright confirmed that I liked it to _some_ degree. Eventually, I did speak, "I could think of worse things."

Her expression changed to one of contemplation at my words, but before long, she was smiling. "So you do like it." When I responded to her with silence, her smile widened. "A victory for me!"

She certainly didn't disappoint in that regard.

I leaned back in the chair I was forced to sit in and crossed my arms. "Don't go getting excited. I only said it was tolerable."

She smirked. "No, you said you could think of worse things. Considering you hated everything else, I'd say that's a pretty long list. So you must like it."

I scoffed. "Saying that I could think of worse things gives room for the implication that I have tried better things."

This time she laughed, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

I wasn't sulking, I just didn't like her laugh.

She eventually contained her mirth back into a smile. "Don't marsh my mellow, Hiei. Just give me my victory with grace."

I let out an irritated grunt and looked away from her. I couldn't believe I was even sitting here right now. I must _really_ be getting soft. If there was any doubt in my mind before, it's been alleviated today. I blame the three idiots and the spirit prince with his blue-haired harpy assistant for it.

If the annoying woman had any intention of gloating anymore, she didn't get a chance to, because someone else walked up to our table.

It was a man, and he looked somewhat nervous. I could tell by the way he was fidgeting, and how he shifted his gaze from me, to her, to then settle on me. I glowered at him, and he recoiled slightly.

He eventually found the nerve enough to clear his throat and speak, "U-uh, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you both to leave."

I felt rather unaffected by the request, but she wasn't. She was quick to voice a complaint.

"What? Leave? Why?! We haven't done anything," she demanded of the man. He glanced to her with a look of worry.

"Uh... well, for public indecency, miss," he said.

"Public indecency?" she mimicked uncertainly.

I disregarded her when I felt a pang of annoyance from the man's reasoning. I hunched forward, and rested my arm on the table to lean on. He jumped backwards when he noticed the shift.

"Public indecency? And what the hell does that mean?" I asked sourly.

He looked shifty, like he would turn around and run at the first sign of conflict. But he still managed to say, "We have rules and regulations, sir. Y-your state of undress is a distraction to the other customers-"

"A distraction to the other customers?" I interrupted to sneer. Humans were so petty. "This is hardly what I'd call a distraction." I clenched my hand into a fist. "If a distraction is what you want, however, I could certainly give you something to call, 'public indecency.'"

Before I could continue, I overheard a conversation not too far away from us. It distracted me for a moment. I wouldn't have bothered with it, but it caught my attention when I heard a familiar voice.

"Oh gosh, that poor guy, having to deal with that thug!"

"Huh? What guy? What are you talking about?"

"Over there, at that table in the corner."

"Hm... oh! I know him!"

"What?! You do!? That guy looks really shady."

"Yeah, he's fine. He's one of Yusuke's friends."

"Yusuke? As in... Yusuke Urameshi? That makes him worse!"

"You do realize that's my fiance you're talking about, right?"

"That just makes you some kind of Mafia's soon-to-be wife."

"...You're incorrigible. I'm gonna go over there."

"Wait! Keiko!"

I cast a glance in the voice's direction as a familiar woman approached. The first thing I noticed was that her hair had become a lot longer than I remembered. This was the first time I had seen Yusuke's woman in several years, as I recall.

"Um, excuse me," she said upon walking up next to the timid man in front of me. He turned to her, spooked, and I saw her smile at him. "Is there a problem?"

He shook his head vehemently. "N-no, miss. Please return to your table. I don't want anyone to get harmed."

The brown-haired woman tilted her head in confusion at the man. "Harmed?" Then she righted it. "Oh, no, Hiei?" she said, and made a gesture to me. I watched the exchange with a now impassive expression. The man followed the gesture with his eyes to me, then back to her. He looked dumbfounded, the fool. "He wouldn't hurt anyone, really. He just doesn't like all the attention," she said to him with a sheepish smile.

The man took a moment to look around, and noticed nearly everyone in the store was watching the four of us intently. "O-oh," he stuttered.

"It's all right, I'll handle it from here. He's a friend of mine," she told the man.

He looked to her sharply, and with a newfound interest. It was as if he was only just now seeing her for the first time. The dumb look on his face irritated me.

"Oh... Okay," he said. With several glances cast back in our direction, the man slowly made his way back to where he came from.

That left me, Yusuke's woman, and the blind woman who had become uncharacteristically quiet.

Yusuke's woman turned to me, and I stared back at her disinterestedly. At least she was one of the few humans that was tolerable. Had it been the bubbly reaper woman, I would have been far less agreeable with the current situation. I could see why the ex-detective cared for her. She had all the responsibility that he sorely lacked.

"It's quite a surprise to see you here, Hiei," she said with a laugh. "It was really quite shocking to see _you_ in a place like..." She gestured to the space around us. "Well, this."

I didn't bother to respond to her small talk.

She shifted uncomfortably when I remained silent. "Um..." she started, unsure. "Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara are really worried about you. They haven't been able to shut up about you for the past week. They said something about you being missing for a while."

I continued to stare at her impassively. I didn't care for what those fools did.

It grew quiet after that, as I didn't have any interest in speaking, and she seemed to run out of things to say. But the silence was soon interrupted.

"This is... a friend of yours." I looked over to the blind woman who finally spoke up. It hadn't been a question, more a statement. And her voice had come out so much more timid than what I had grown accustomed to lately.

Yusuke's woman turned to her in surprise. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't even see you there. I'm Keiko," she said good-naturedly, then she seemed to realize something. "Wait, are you two here... together?"

When I didn't reply, the woman across from me did eventually, as she said, "Sort of, I guess."

The brown-haired woman looked shocked, and looked to me for confirmation. I stayed quiet. This wasn't a conversation I had any interest in partaking in.

She turned back to the blind one and smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you... um..."

"Hana."

"It's nice to meet you, Hana!" She extended out her hand. "I didn't know Hiei had any friends outside of our small circle."

The blind woman didn't take the offered gesture to shake hands, because she didn't see it. Instead, she said, "I didn't know he did either." Her tone wasn't lost on me. It was a peculiar one, but I didn't understand it.

There was an awkward moment between them, and the brown-haired woman was quick to realize the mistake she had made.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were..." She paused awkwardly as she quickly retracted her hand.

"Blind."

"Ah, yes. Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's okay. I get that a lot."

There was another tense pause in the conversation, and I had taken it upon myself to glare back out of the window. I could think of several places I'd rather be right now.

"So uh, I noticed you guys were having some trouble with the manager," I heard Yusuke's woman say.

"Oh, that's right. We were kicked out. I suppose we were finished anyway," the blind woman said. There was shuffling, and I looked over to see she was getting out of her seat. "We should probably leave."

When she stumbled a little, I watched Yusuke's woman reach for her to touch her arm. She was quick to wave the other away.

"That's okay. I don't need help. I'm used to it."

I smirked. I couldn't help it. It pulled at the corner of my lips without my consent.

"Your pride will be your undoing," I muttered to her.

The faintest of smiles ghosted over her lips, and she muttered back to me, "Not today."

The brown-haired woman looked between her and I with a fascinated look in her eyes, I noticed. When she realized she had been caught, she cleared her throat. "Well, ah, I think I should be going too. It was nice meeting you, Hana."

The blind woman nodded once. "Likewise," she said.

The brown-haired woman nodded back, but seemed to remember the other couldn't see the gesture. "Of course!" she vocalized as she began to back away. "I'll uh, I'll see you guys later then. I'm glad I was able to help alleviate the hostile situation."

"Yes, you were a great help. Thank you, miss Keiko."

Yusuke's woman then turned to me as she said, "I'll tell Yusuke and the others that you're okay."

I grunted in acknowledgment.

With an awkward wave that she quickly and mechanically placed back to her side, she walked away from us.

"Are you ready to go?" the blind woman asked me once we were left alone.

I looked back over to her, then stood up from the table. I placed my hands in my pockets and sauntered out of the cramped diner with her trailing behind me.

* * *

The walk back to the small cottage in the middle of the forest didn't take us nearly as long as it did to leave it. I easily remembered the way we came, and didn't have to rely on the blind woman next to me for guidance. Something I was immeasurably appreciative of.

We hadn't talked on the walk back, and as soon as we arrived at the worn-out cottage, I sat at the base of it and leaned against its wooden panels. I preferred this to going inside. I'd had enough of being in-doors that could very well last me my lifetime.

I relaxed against the boards and let out a sigh. It wouldn't be much longer now before I would be able to leave this world. The thought lifted a weight off my tense shoulders.

The woman walked over to me, and sat down to my left. I glanced at her briefly before looking back out into the woods.

She didn't speak, and for a long time, neither did I. We simply bathed in the silence.

After a time, though, I opened my mouth to speak.

"You do realize that she had only been trying to help you. It's in her nature."

The thought had been on my mind since witnessing her standoffish behavior towards the other woman, and I had decided to voice it. It had occurred to me then, that I hadn't seen her interact with anyone other than myself and the demons that had attacked us before. Though I didn't think the demons counted much, for obvious reasons.

The woman beside me breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly.

"Yeah, I know. Like I said, I'm used to it."

I looked over to her, but I couldn't really tell what she was thinking by the look on her face.

"If that's the case, then what has your tongue glued in place? I'd thought you'd be gloating by now," I asked.

I saw her begin to smile. "I thought you preferred it when I was quiet," she said to me.

And I scoffed. "I do, but your silence seems to mean there's something wrong with you."

This time she laughed. "How perceptive of you. Better be careful, or I might mistake one of those comments to mean you actually have feelings."

I let out a disdained humph at the remark. "Forget I asked."

She chuckled, but didn't respond.

We lapsed into another silence, and I listened to the leaves rustling in the wind. I suppose her behavior towards the other woman didn't matter all that much. Besides, she seemed fine enough to me if she could make a joke at my expense.

"I'm glad you stayed, by the way. Even if it's only for today." I looked to her when she began to speak. She held a serene look in her expression. Something subdued, and she smiled faintly. "You must be tired of me, I'm sure."

I smirked. "How perceptive of you."

Her smile dropped into a frown, and she reached out to shove me. "Jerk," she muttered, but I saw a hint of the smile still present on her lips.

I responded to her with a grunt.

When the calm of the forest fell back over us, I took in a deep breath.

Even though I was feeling restless from being in the human world for so long, so much so that it had seeped into my bones to make me anxious to get away from it, I found it surprisingly easy to sit here. To sit with her. It was simple. I had no expectations of her, and she had none of me. It was simply an exchange of casual company, and the more I stayed here, the more I found it to not be so terrible. At least, moments like these.

This was tolerable. Much more so than her previous silence those few days ago.

The thought of that moment brought me to thinking of the night before. When she had asked me to go to that damned cafe. She had been rather elusive then. I had a feeling that it wasn't her original intention to ask me to stay.

I found myself asking before I could think better of it.

"What had been the important something you had wanted to tell me before?"

Her resulting response had been one of feigned surprise as she said, "Are you starting a conversation for the second time today? Who are you, strange man, and what have you done with Hiei?"

I scowled. "Just answer the question, woman."

She smiled, then looked somewhat uneasy as a faint blush surfaced to her cheeks. "It was..." she started, but after a pause, deflated slightly. "It wasn't important."

I eyed her suspiciously. "Did it have anything to do with why you had become a mute all those days ago?"

My question seemed to have an effect on her. Her expression deflated even further, and she slouched forward. The blush had faded. "Yeah, sure. Something like that," she responded.

Her reaction made me curious, and I did little to hide it. "So why did you?" I probed. "Was it because of the image I showed you?" I wasn't about to let the conversation drop so quickly. This is what I had been waiting to hear for some time. She'd had plenty enough time to mope and get over it.

I heard her gasp slightly as she looked startled. She let out a shaky breath, and seemed to withdraw into herself somewhat.

"How did you do it?" she suddenly asked instead.

I felt a tinge of annoyance that my question had been deflected, but I answered her anyway. "I told you, I'm a demon. I can do a lot more than that."

"But... how?"

I glared at her, then looked down at her hand. Without warning her, I grabbed the appendage and pulled it towards me. I took off the bandage wrapped around my forehead.

"I can show you," I told her.

I felt her hand tremble in mine as I moved it to press against the closed Jagan. In the instant that her skin touched mine, the image of the third eye, with its large, purple iris, went from my mind to hers.

She wrenched her hand away from mine with a gasp and held it to her chest.

"I'm telepathic," I told her after a moment. "With that eye, I can see all."

She didn't respond. She merely sat there looking shocked.

I felt my irritation quickly rising from her prolonged silence. This was far too much like the last time. "I answered your question. Now you answer mine," I growled out. "Explain to me what you meant that day."

She didn't speak for a long time, and my annoyance grew with every passing second. She already had her time to be shocked.

I'll admit, the first time had been my fault. I hadn't given her condition much thought prior to the incident. But now, she had asked of her own volition. If she could do that, then she should deal with the consequences.

After a while, her expression eased into a more calm one.

"What color?"

The sudden question caught me off guard. "What?"

"What color was it?" she asked again.

I eyed her curiously for a moment. Eventually, I responded, "Purple."

She began to smile. "Purple. What a remarkably beautiful color."

I found myself scowling at the remark. "That. Explain to me what that is supposed to mean. You can't honestly expect me to believe you find me... _beautiful._ " The thought was already odd enough. She didn't have to complicate it more by adding to it. There was no part of me that had any right to be called _beautiful._

She looked lost, her brow furrowing as she said, "I don't understand. What is there to explain?"

My scowl deepened. "Purple isn't beautiful. It's a mere color. It simply exists, as does every other thing and color like it," I said derisively.

Her brow then smoothed, and her smile returned. She took in a deep breath as she leaned back against the wooden panels behind her.

"I guess it's something you'd have to feel for yourself to really understand," she spoke after a time. I stared at her impatiently as she let out a deep sigh. "It felt like... like I'd found something that I hadn't realized I'd lost. If that makes any sense."

I didn't speak. I simply listened to her breathe as she fell quiet. Her eyes had never actually focused on anything before, I suppose they never really could, but her stare looked especially lost at the moment.

"It was... strange, bizarre, at first. I didn't like it, it was so alien to me." She paused a moment as she closed her eyes. She looked deep in thought, like she was recollecting something. "How could something that never was... simply exist? How could anything... _**be**_ _purple_?"

She laughed softly, but there didn't seem to be any humor in it. "I know it must not make much sense to you, because that's your reality, to _see_ purple. To see colors. It's your world. It isn't mine," she said calmly. Though her tone seemed to belie the emotions she was feeling. She was, after all, a very expressive person.

"At least, it wasn't," she said quietly, her voice softening. Her eyes opened slowly, and they looked forward, unfocused. "When you... showed me... what you could do the first time, it was like stepping into another reality. It felt like a whole new world opened up to me, and I couldn't... I didn't know how to handle it. I couldn't let it go."

I watched her as she pulled her knees up close to herself to wrap her arms around them, holding them close.

"I don't want to." Her voice faded off slightly.

I leaned back against the small cottage and gazed up at the treetops. I thought about her explanation. It must be tiresome living in a dark world.

"Your... gift... it means a lot to me," she suddenly spoke up. "I never did actually thank you properly for it before."

I looked over to her with an apathetic stare and scoffed.

"You're a naive woman," I finally spoke. Her expression had changed to one of irritation as I said this, as if she wanted to retort, but I continued, "That was never meant as a gift." I crossed my arms over my chest as I looked away from her as I continued, "You don't have to thank me for it. You can have the thoughts if they mean so much to you, Hana," I said dismissively.

There was a long pause after I said that. She didn't even respond like I thought she would have. She had seemed ready to comment. After several more minutes of silence, I looked back over to her.

She had a surprised look on her face, and it was aimed in my direction. I lifted an eyebrow at her.

"What in the world is wrong with you now?" I asked warily.

She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she had been in, and she said, "You said my name."

My brow immediately furrowed. "What?"

"You called me by name," she repeated.

I smirked. " _Hah_. Now you've gone as deaf as you are blind?"

She didn't respond to me at first. I was expecting some kind of angry retort. She surprised me, however, when she recovered from her stunned silence to laugh. This time, there was a sense of joy in it.

"Oh God, I surely hope not," she said as she quelled the laughter into a light chuckle.

Her expression turned serene once more as I stared at her in slight surprise. It wasn't until the surprise faded that I found myself with a small smile.

My lips turned down as soon as I did realize it. Where the hell had that come from?

"Hiei?" Her voice broke me out of my reverie, and I looked up to her face.

"What?"

Her expression changed to one of resignation. She looked somewhat forlorn. "You're really leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" she asked solemnly.

When I didn't respond to her, she let out a heavy sigh. My silence seemed to speak enough.

"Can I ask you for something before you go?" she asked, but she looked sheepish. "I know I shouldn't, but I figured the worst you could say is no." When I didn't speak, she continued. "Could you... show me what you look like? Just one more time." She smiled, albeit solemnly. "I don't want to forget."

I stared at her in shock by the request, a strange feeling overtaking me. It assaulted me strongly enough that I had to tear my eyes away from her and look at something else for the feeling to subside.

But It didn't just fade away, however. It was quite concerning.

"You don't have to, of course. I don't want to force you if it's something that takes a lot of effort. I don't know how the whole telepathic thing works."

I looked back over to her, and when I did, something clicked inside my mind. It was like being forced awake suddenly from a fervent dream.

Was I... becoming attached?

* * *

AN:

Yay! It's finally here! Yay!

Ah gosh. I think I'm just going to accept the fact that my update schedule is not much of a schedule at all. I will just embrace it, I suppose.

But, this chapter was especially hard to get out, because it's just so _long._ The following chapters probably won't be as long as this one. Maybe later in the story. In this chapter, though, we covered a lot of ground, and I condensed it as best I could.

Anyway, left this chapter off with a tiny cliffhanger of sorts. In the next one, we'll get to see what Hiei's response is to Hana's request. Yay. And also his thoughts on how he's going from feeling attached to Hana by guilt, to actually possibly caring about her.

I'm also so pleased that Hana has been so well received. I hope you all continue to like her! I wanted to make her feel very real. Perhaps not relatable, but kind of like someone that embodies and/or represents a side of humanity. That's kind of what I was going for with her.


	8. Chapter 8

_You look positively smashing today. Did you get a haircut?_

* * *

I was still sitting there, a little bit confused and quite a bit surprised by my revelation. It seems that I've grown far more comfortable around her than I initially realized.

Maybe it wasn't anything quite extreme, but... I did... care, at least somewhat, for what happened to her. It was strange to consider.

"Hiei? Are you all right?"

And she cared for what happened to me, even if I had nearly gotten her killed. Had even openly admitted to it.

She was definitely strange, I'll give her that.

I relaxed from my surprise, leaning my head back to stare up at the trees.

She had become something of a companion, I suppose. Someone to share the silence with. The easy, casual acceptance had given rise to a foreign calmness in me. Something I thought I had forever lost since the day my mother's hiruseki stone was stolen from me.

Maybe that's why her words had bothered me so much. My chaotic world had so violently and suddenly collided with her own mundane one, yet she had eagerly accepted it. How could anyone be that willing?

"Why?" I asked of her.

"Why?" she mirrored, confused.

I scowled. I may minutely care for her well-being, but her parroting was a habit I was not particularly fond of.

"Why do you want to see me again? Why does it matter to you?"

Hana seemed to recover from her confusion. I heard shuffling, and looked over to see her stretching her limbs to then lean back against the cabin behind her. She looked calm.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked resolutely. "You're my friend." Then she became more quiet, less convinced. "My only friend, really."

Interestingly enough, her response didn't surprise me. I've grown accustomed to her nonchalant disposition. It seemed very much like her to respond so casually.

Perhaps I had begun to accept her too.

"Most people don't really pay much attention to me," she began with a wistful tone. "They don't really know how to handle me. What to say, what to do." She stopped to chuckle. "But I suppose you didn't have much choice."

I let out a haughty scoff at that.

She laughed before she carried on. "And I confess, I'm a bit picky. I feel like it's hindered a lot of the potential relationships I might have had." She let out a sigh, somewhat resigned and somewhat forlorn. "I never went anywhere special for the blind. I went to a school that catered to blind and deaf people, where I learned to read and write, but that was about it. I didn't really get much of a chance to meet people who might understand my situation."

I listened to her speak, quietly, without interruption.

Her face scrunched up in disdain as she continued, "But I didn't really like it much. It was... stifling. The only thing it really did was remind me that I had a problem. That I wasn't normal."

She went quiet for a moment. I imagine she must have been reminiscing. The frown marring her face was then replaced with a fond smile. "Everything else I learned, I learned from my mother," she said, and her smile grew wider as she seemed to recollect a memory. "She never forced me to do anything I didn't want to. We stayed here, in this cabin mostly, and she would hire private tutors for me."

When she didn't continue, I crossed my arms behind my head to lean against. I thought about her little story. It sounded like her life was fairly straightforward and easy before I ended up here.

"What about you?"

I turned to regard her curiously. The question had come without much context, so I asked her, "What about me?"

She smiled. "I'm a little curious, how is life as a demon?" She paused a moment as her expression turned suspicious. "You haven't... eaten anyone—humans—have you?"

I smirked at her disgruntled face, and let my silence prolong long enough for her frown to worsen before I answered, "I haven't."

She let out a noticeably relieved sigh, then asked, "So what did you do? Do you guys have schools or anything like that?"

The smirk was quick to fall from my lips. "No. We don't."

"Oh, so how did you-"

"It's not some civilized, organized society, if that's what you're thinking," I said, interrupting her.

She looked surprised by my quick interruption for a short moment, but went on to say, "Well, it can't be that bad."

I gave a scoff of great disdain at that.

"It's survival of the fittest. We pillage and we steal. We kill and we maim. Only the strongest survive, and the weak die young. The only remote similarity between your world and mine, is that we trade. But we don't trade for money, we trade for power."

My words seemed to shock her, but I didn't give her much of a chance to recover.

"I didn't live an easy life, if that was your question," I spat venomously. "I fought for my right to survive, when everyone around me wanted me dead. I shouldn't be breathing, but I am." I took a moment to eye her severely. "The rode I took in life is paved with the bodies of the fools that dared get in my way. I exist because I demanded to. Because my will is far stronger than anyone else's."

My severity dissipated, and I relaxed again.

"Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Hana, however, seemed stupefied.

"I... I don't know what to say... I'm... sorry?" she mumbled, unsure.

I humphed indignantly. "Don't be. I didn't ask for it."

She nodded once, seemingly regaining her composure at my words. "Right. You didn't."

Though she had regained control of herself, my spiel had still effectively killed the atmosphere. She didn't have much to say after it.

After some time, I heard her clear her throat. "So uh, your eye thing-"

"Jagan," I corrected with a humph.

"Yeah, that. How does it work?"

I looked over to her. "It's an eye for the spirit. It sees what my eyes can't."

Her expression changed from its previous frown, to mystified in a matter of seconds. "So it can see on another plane of existence or something?" she asked in wonder.

I shrugged. "Sure."

She nodded to herself, looking contemplative for a time. "So, you can see someone's memories, or even push thoughts into someone else's mind?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.

The wonder in her eyes lit up, and made her look like a child that had just discovered something new.

"Can you do anything else? With your eye thing—Jagan?" she asked in fascination.

I lifted a brow, feeling somewhat amused by her child-like amazement. "It allows me to do a lot more."

She looked excited by the idea, and seemed to consider what 'a lot more' might be. After a while, she asked, "You said you're telepathic, can you... talk to people in their heads too?"

"I can," I said plainly.

Her expression brightened even more, and she turned to me, moving closer. "Can you really?" she asked with barely contained excitement in her voice. "Do it!"

My stare turned incredulous, but I still felt some measure of humor at seeing how elated she was over something so minor. I've never met anyone so awed over mere telepathy.

Though just because she was fascinated by it didn't mean that I would. The Jagan was no parlor trick up on display, nor was I about to be ordered to either.

Her expression turned sheepish when she seemed to realize this herself.

"Please?" she added, a little less dramatically.

I let out a sigh before leveling her with an apathetic grimace.

I guess I could show her once.

So I did, I focused on her mind, and sent my thoughts to her, " _There. Satisfied?_ "

Her reaction was one of shocked bewilderment. She let in a sharp breath, and her eyes widened.

"Holy-! That's... that's crazy weird!" she exclaimed as she lifted her hands to gingerly touch at the sides of her head. "How bizarre. It's like my head is the inside of a cavern, and someone just yelled into it so I could hear the echo."

I watched her as she leaned forward, towards me. She reached out a hand, but I caught her wrist before she could touch me.

"What are you doing?" I asked sharply of her.

"I just want to confirm," she replied, and raised her other hand to swat at mine. "Let me go."

"Confirm what? I already showed you," I said to her, not easing up on my grip on her wrist.

"Just once more!" she started, her voice turning pleading. "Please, Hiei!"

I grunted in mild irritation, but I released her wrist. "You're like a child," I told her.

She ignored my comment, and her hand more than happily reached its destination now that it was freed, which just so happened to be my mouth. At first I was surprised, but I recovered quickly to send her a dull glare.

"Okay, I'm ready. Do it again?" she asked with a focused expression.

" _You're annoying_."

Her second reaction was just as dramatic as her first one. "Oh, that's so weird! But really cool. But so weird."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She was amused far too easily.

Once her shock died down, she smiled widely as she said, "Do it again!"

I glared at her more sharply. My response was a curt one. "No."

"Aw, you used your mouth that time."

I scowled as I grabbed the hand over my mouth and pushed it back to her. "Control yourself," I told her.

She audibly sighed as she re-positioned herself against the cabin. There was a pout on her lips. "But you're so amazing."

I was in the process of positioning myself into something more comfortable myself when I heard this, and I faltered slightly. I looked to her skeptically, but her face hid nothing. I'm not sure if she even knew how to keep an emotion from showing itself on her face. She'd be an awful liar.

I never once had thought what I did to be... amazing. For telepathy, of all techniques.

"But uh..." she started up, breaking me out of my thoughts. I noticed she had taken on a shy blush. "You never answered me before. About... getting the chance to see you again."

I blinked slowly at her, and let out a breath.

No, I suppose I hadn't.

Hana had done a lot for me in my time here in the human world. Had actually made it somewhat tolerable. That was not an easy achievement.

She had allowed me the chance to carry on for however longer it took me to find myself in another such predicament as the one I showed up in when we met. For that, I owed her.

"I don't want to seem like I'm pestering you for it or anything, it's just-"

But before she could go on with her blubbering spiel, I interrupted her, "Out of everything you could ask to see, you want to waste what might be your last chance, on me?"

She looked a little shocked by my interruption, her face taking on a blank look as she seemed to be trying to process the words I just spoke.

I decided to speed up the process for her. "And only once?"

I was never one to be quite so generous, but in this case, I was willing to make an exception. At least this once.

A smirk found its way to my lips when I saw the dawning realization light up in her eyes. Her mouth opened, but when nothing came out, she closed it.

Her mouth opened again, and she floundered for words. "I... uh-what? Are you... Really?"

Emotion seemed to be bubbling up just underneath the surface of her dazed expression. Her lips quivered, and she seemed lost as to what purpose her hands could have. They moved from her knees, to her face, to then rest by her side.

I let out a snide, haughty scoff. "I don't like owing anyone, and I repay my debts," I said dismissively.

She didn't react to my words at first. Just sat there with a stunned look on her face. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she reached out for me. Once her hand found what it was looking for, which just so happened to be my upper arm, she rushed towards me, wrapping her arms around any part she could.

It had been so sudden, I almost hadn't even been prepared for it. She had sprung at me with all the grace of a frog escaping a hawk.

I managed to catch her before she could cling to me for very long. I pushed her back, taking note of her watery eyes and wide smile.

"Control yourself," I said more sternly. Though she didn't look like she was paying attention to my voice anymore. I grimaced. "You know nothing of the meaning of restraint, do you?" I questioned her sardonically as I leaned away. If there were anymore sudden movements, I'd be prepared for them.

"I'm sorry... I just..." she began through a hiccup. "No one's ever done something like this for me before." She rubbed at her eyes. "Nothing of this magnitude. I'm just... really surprised. ...Thank you, Hiei. Really."

My grimace worsened. I felt slightly uncomfortable by her apparent gratitude. I leaned farther away.

"Don't make it anymore than it is. No human you've ever met can do what I do. I'm merely repaying a debt."

She moved her hands away from her face to reveal a smile. "Maybe so, but I'm still glad that it was you."

Slight discomfort turned into full on discomfort. I shifted uncomfortably. "Good for you. Now hurry up and choose before I realize I made a mistake."

That finally snapped her out of her haze of adoration. She scrambled forward, and grabbed hold of the first thing that her hands could land on. She pulled back and swung herself in my general direction, nearly slapping me in her enthusiasm.

"This! What does this look like?!" she exclaimed.

Once I was satisfied that there were no more flailing limbs, I looked cautiously from her, to the hand she had almost assaulted me with.

When I saw what was within her palm, I lifted an eyebrow.

"It's a blade of grass, woman. What do you expect it to look like?"

My sarcastic remark didn't deter her. "Show me!"

I gave her one last incredulous look before shrugging my shoulders. I suppose it didn't matter all that much about what she chose. It wasn't for me. So, I focused on the blades of grass in her hand, constructing the image in my mind, of every vein and minute texture, before I sent it to hers.

When she saw it in her mind's eye, she gasped.

I didn't think her smile could have gotten any wider than before, but she proved me wrong. It stretched across her face like a slash wound. I wondered idly if her face would crack under the strain. It was an amusing thought, and I found myself smirking.

"I never thought a blade of grass could inspire such awe in someone before today."

The snide remark seemed to snap her out of her enthralled state, though she still looked far more pleased than anyone had a right to be over a piece of grass.

"It's... so..." She paused, but only for a moment to giggle, then she bellowed, "cute!"

My smirk dropped into a perplexed line. I almost thought I had heard her wrong. "Cute?" I asked. "You think grass is... cute?" How in the world could anyone deem grass to have any kind of attractive quality? The understanding of such a strange concept eluded me. "How can grass be cute?"

I didn't get a response. She seemed far more concerned with finding some other object within her reach.

The next thing she picked up was a stick. I found this out the hard way, quite literally, when she did end up hitting me. To be specific, it hit me in the face. Needless to say, I got a pretty good look at what it was.

I growled at her, a low rumble, but she was so focused on the twig in her hands that she didn't seem to hear it at all.

"Hana," I chided, and she finally shrunk back a bit.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just really excited, I guess. Did I hit you?"

I grumbled under my breath.

"I'm sorry. I've just never _seen_ anything before," she said sheepishly. Her words then seemed to set in for her. "Oh wow, that sounds so crazy. I saw it! What color was it? The grass?"

I looked at her face, and my irritation waned at seeing her truly elated expression. Evidently, this did mean quite a lot to her. I guess I could let it slide this time.

"Green," I responded to her question.

She looked pleased by my response. "Green. What a pretty color."

I shrugged indifferently. "So you say."

She tilted her head, a clear sign that she was curious. She placed her hand on the ground, and ran it through the short stocks of greenery. "You don't think so?"

"I don't really care," I replied honestly.

She smiled faintly. She didn't seem all too bothered by my apathy, as she said quietly, "What I wouldn't give to be able to see it all the time, like you."

The discomfort from before was starting to come back to me from that statement, though for a different reason. She was certainly getting better at evoking such a response from me. I tried to ignore it.

I had never really considered myself to be ungrateful for simply being able to see.

"Do you want to see that stick, or are you going to continue to be fascinated by grass?" I asked sarcastically, diverting my attention from the feeling.

She was quick to jump back into her overly excited enthusiasm at my question.

"Yes, of course!"

Her reaction when I sent the image of the twig to her mind was very much the same as the first. A sharp inhale followed by an amazed, dazed look.

"Oh, it's so cute. What color is that?"

I still couldn't fathom her definition of cute, so I chose to ignore it this time.

"Brown," I said impassively.

She nodded. "Brown. What a lovely color."

She didn't stay too long on the subject this time, and was quick to find something else that caught her attention. Her hands found a rock. A meager, plain rock, indiscriminately chosen for an occasion such as this. She thrust it towards me eagerly all the same, as if it was some precious artifact.

"This! What does this look like!?" she asked quickly.

I gave her a dubious stare. "It looks like a rock."

My deadpan response didn't dissuade her. She just moved the rock closer to me. So, I shrugged apathetically and showed it to her. If all she wanted to see were mundane, single items, then it was easier on me, I suppose.

"It's so cute!" she exclaimed excitedly.

I lifted an eyebrow. "I'm noticing a pattern here."

She didn't respond to me. She just moved on to the next thing for her to see.

We kept this up for some time. When the objects in her reach ran out, she began to fan out in search of something new. She had repeatedly returned to me with some of the same things, and I had told her every time when she did, but she didn't seem to care. She wanted to see everything her hands touched.

She had brought back many things in that time, ranging from more twigs and rocks, to leaves, different plants, flowers, and even insects. One time in particular, she brought back a dead giant hornet. I didn't think she would have been too keen on calling it cute, and I had smirked when I had shown her what it was. Though she surprised me when she had told me it was one of the prettiest things she'd seen yet. She ended up giving it a burial.

I sat in the same spot throughout her self-proclaimed treasure hunt. She never once complained about this, and I hadn't been about to go out of my way. It hadn't really mattered though, as she seemed to find her way back to me well enough whenever she wandered farther off into the forest.

Though even though she brought back many of the same things, and I didn't feel too inclined to do much else other than sit there, I found I didn't mind showing her small pieces of the world around her. It never occurred to me at any point since the start of my offer to be annoyed by it. Her responses weren't exactly unique. Though each one was equally filled with such genuinely pleased, delighted wonder, that I found the whole experience more amusing than anything else.

It didn't feel like too long after before it became dark. The sun set faster than I was expecting, and it surprised me how easily I lost track of it. The last buzzing of the cicadas made a loud hum in the dusk of the fall evening.

The next she returned to me, I told her as much.

"It's getting late."

Her pace slowed as she walked up to me. Her face lost some of its joy.

"Oh, is it? I hadn't even been paying attention," she said with a halfhearted laugh. I watched her as she walked over to sit beside me slowly. "I guess now would be a good time to stop."

By the way the excitement seemed to be zapped from her, I could tell she was upset. I suppose I couldn't blame her. This must be quite a significant event for her to have to stop. To have to go back to her only alternative. It wasn't something I would have been fond of either.

My eyes flickered down, and I noticed she was holding something in her hands. A small creature. On closer inspection, I noticed it was a snail.

I looked back up to her face, at the sadness hidden behind those dull eyes. I let out a sigh. I almost pitied her.

"Do you want to see that thing in your hands?" I asked suddenly.

She turned to me, surprised. Even I felt a little surprised by my own willingness, but I shrugged it off.

Eventually, she spoke up, "Yes." She smiled faintly. "I would really like to."

So I showed her, and her smile grew.

"He's really cute," she said, and I let out a grunt.

"You think everything is cute," I said dismissively as I looked to her face.

Even though a smile was there, she still looked sad. The sight was pitiful. I found I didn't much care for it, so I decided to attempt to distract her.

"You wouldn't think it was so cute if you knew the slime it leaves behind is its own excrement."

Incidentally, I've never been good at 'lightening the mood.'

However, it seemed to work all the same, because she began to laugh.

"You would mention something like that," she said after her laughter died down.

I stared at her a moment. At the way her eyes lit back up, and how she looked happy again.

She looked better this way. It suited her.

* * *

It was in the very early hours of the night when I had decided it would be the best time to leave.

I was sitting against the wooden walls, on the floor inside of the cabin next to the cot. I had slept for maybe an hour, perhaps less.

My eyes opened automatically, as if I had merely blinked instead of awoken.

In the pitch blackness of the interior, it was hard to see. My eyes had to take a moment to adjust.

When they did, I looked over to the cot.

Hana lied there, sleeping. She didn't make any noise or shift in her sleep. It would have been hard to tell that she was even there if one didn't already know she was.

I stood up carefully from the floor. I turned away from the bed, and started for the exit. The cabin was small, so it didn't take me but two or so strides to make it to the door. I rested my hand along the handle and pulled it open slowly.

"Weren't even going to say goodbye?"

I paused, feeling my whole body go tense. I turned my head, and when I did I saw Hana sitting at the edge of the cot with her legs hung over the side.

Eventually, I relaxed, and turned around to face her.

"I didn't see the point," I said honestly. Why bring attention to the inevitable? Seemed a waste of time and energy to me.

She didn't respond to me at first. She sat still for a moment, before standing up slowly from the cot.

"So you're really leaving then?" Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible.

"Yes," I said curtly.

She went quiet again. And after a time, she began to walk carefully in my direction. She stopped when she was just a few feet away.

"Will we... ever meet again?" she asked just as quietly as before.

I didn't answer her this time.

She stood in front of me, shifting from one foot to the other. It was hard to make out her expression in the dark.

But I heard sniffling. Quiet and subdued. Much more controlled. I stood still where I was, just a few inches away from the outside.

"You shouldn't cry," I said impassively. "You knew I was leaving."

"I know," I heard her say. She seemed so small to me right now. Perhaps it was the meekness in her voice. "It's just..."

I waited for her to go on. When she didn't, I thought about if I should just leave. I could run, and get past this senseless 'goodbye.' Though, for whatever reason, it didn't seem like such a good idea. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

So I stood there, waiting.

It wasn't much longer before she seemed to no longer be able to keep a hold of her composure. She moved forward quickly while I remained still, staring at her in confusion at the sudden switch.

But when her arms found their way around my neck, as she pushed her face into my shoulder, the confusion turned to shock.

"It's just that I'll miss you." Her voice was muffled into my shoulder. "So much."

My eyes widened at her words. They left me at a loss.

Miss me? _Me?_

She began to cry much more freely now, and I let her as I tried to regain myself from the astonishment.

"I'll miss you, Hiei."

I deflated from the surprise, but I didn't speak. I didn't have anything to say.

So instead, I lifted my hands from my sides, and placed them against her temples. She gasped lightly in surprise, but I didn't give her any time to question it, as I sent one last image to her mind.

I felt her sag against me, and I moved my arms to catch her before she could fall.

"You're beautiful," she whispered into my shoulder.

I lowered her carefully to the floor, then stood back up straight.

She stayed where I placed her, but her crying had stopped.

I turned away from her, facing outside of the door.

"You should go back to sleep," I told her, as I pushed past the door and walked out.

* * *

AN:

Woo! A shorter chapter. I hope you guys liked it. :D It'll probably undergo a few revisions, but I felt I was fiddling around with it for too long not to post something. So here it is! Some familiar faces will be introduced next chapter! Aren't you excited?!

And thank you all so much for the support of my OC and this story, guys. I don't think I've said it enough. It means a lot to me!


	9. Chapter 9

_AAAaaahhhhh!_

* * *

I was running through the forest with great speed. Quick enough to make the wind rage and whip around me in protest, pushing against me in earnest. I could feel the adrenaline running through my veins. Could feel the blood pumping all the way up to my ears that pounded like the steady rhythm of drums.

I took a quick glance above me. The treetops blocked the light from the moon.

But that was fine. I didn't need it.

I jumped over a shrub in my path with well-timed precision, and landed just as precisely. I twisted and turned around sturdy tree trunks. It felt good.

My energy was back. Took it long enough.

I had to make it back to Makai. My objective now was to find the fastest way to do that.

The breech in the barrier that I had crossed to get to the human world was on the other side of this forest. That place was my current destination. I had no way of knowing if the breech was still there, but it was my best option at the moment. Though it could have been sealed up by now to prevent anymore rogue demons from slipping through into the human world once Mukuro had noticed my disappearance. I increased my pace at the thought.

I needed to get back to Alaric. Mukuro would want an account of what happened. Especially with it happening in her domain. That rift would lead me right to her kingdom. The border I had been patrolling was, of course, within the territory of Mukuro's at the time I had been ambushed. The only question now was how long it would take for me to reach it.

I would reach the rift in a little under a minute. My speed would overly suffice.

But my physical speed wasn't the issue. The real problem would lie in what might be waiting for me on the other side.

The three that had attacked Hana and I had allies when they had attacked me the first time. I had to be prepared for the very real possibility that the rest of them might still be close around the other side of the border, waiting for me. The easiest exit from this mundane realm was also the most obvious for another attack. Perhaps another ambush. It would all depend on how motivated they were to see to my demise. I smirked at the thought.

But this time, I would be ready. I wouldn't be taken by surprise again.

My smirk faltered when a root caught my foot and nearly caused me to trip. It turned into a glower as I righted myself with a quick glare cast over my shoulder at the obstacle.

I'll be ready for any surprise attacks well enough, but how prepared would I be for combat?

I've been dawdling here in this forest for too long. I'm sure I've lost my touch with how lazy I had allowed myself to get. It was rather unbecoming.

As I continued to sprint through the trees after my bout of clumsiness, my mind paused on that thought.

Dawdling. Did I really consider the time I spent here to be such a waste of time to deem it 'dawdling' as my first instinct? I grimaced.

But then I immediately felt foolish, and chose to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

This brief moment was over. Now I had other objectives to focus on. Back to the life I had been living before this sudden interlude. Besides, what did it matter now what I considered the two or so months I've spent here? I had no intentions of seeing this forest again.

I found myself letting out a sigh against the wind. Deep and almost longing. I quickly shook my head, and tried to focus. Now was definitely not the time to reminisce.

 _"Are you always this way?"_

The thought struck me almost without my consent. My gaze fell a moment to eye my deftly moving feet critically.

Her voice _would_ pervade my mind the moment I determined it to be inappropriate.

It was as if she was here with me, berating me for my callous nature. It was something she would do.

I gritted my teeth in frustration. Not the time.

I looked forward, and realized that my pace had slowed. I scowled irritably. Now I really did have something to grimace about. I was letting myself get too distracted. At this rate, I might as well just surrender myself over to my newly acquired enemies. It'd be better than wasting anymore time with how useless I'd become. I forced myself to move faster than before for the slight.

I came upon the small clearing in the woods faster than I was supposed to. I felt a small sense of satisfaction for it.

I stopped abruptly just before the clearing, and began to look around for the tear in the barrier at a much slower amble.

I didn't have to get too much closer before I could sense it. The energy in this area felt more alive, stronger. It was still here.

I walked forward into the small open space. It was mostly quiet, save for the occasional cricket's chirp or the shuffling of bushes by other small creatures. The light of the moon shone down in splotchy patches along the forest's floor from where the trees were separated here.

I took careful steps forward, and kept my footfalls quiet. There was no telling who might be lurking around here. If the barrier had been open all this time, it was possible. However, after awhile, I didn't sense any demonic energy. Just the subtle waves of it flowing through the rift, but I didn't allow myself to relax.

I kept walking forward slowly until something caught my eye. I moved towards it, and looked down. I let out a humph.

There, on the ground, were tattered pieces of dried, bloodied fabric. Black fabric. I kicked at a piece with a boot.

This was mine. It was from when I had first stumbled into the human world, and this forest. They looked like they'd been chewed up, possibly by animals, but I could tell. Bits of my own energy lingered here as well, fragmented and worn. I had nearly died, after all.

I breathed in deeply, slowly, and felt it coalesce with the rest of my energy. I felt minutely stronger for it.

As I was concentrating, I could sense something else here as well. A small, faint tendril of energy that I wouldn't have realized was there if I hadn't been actively looking for it, or knew it well enough.

I breathed in again, slower this time. I could feel it swirling around in the air like it belonged here.

Hana.

I don't know why I was even remotely surprised by her energy being here. Of course it would be. She said herself that she grew up in these woods.

And this is also where she found me, dying in the grass like a dog. Grass.

 _"It's so... cute!"_

I pushed the memory of her voice from my mind as soon as it had arisen. Had I not learned my lesson? I had business to attend to.

I ignored the very human energy, and walked to the breech. It rippled and distorted as I got close, similar to how waves of heat would when rolling off fire. All I had to do now was step through it.

I raised my hand, extending my fingers to brush up against the distortion. The ripples fanned out around my hand like water. Then I pushed my arm through.

Well, it was still intact.

I pulled my arm out and watched the ripples slowly fade. Now that my examination was over, I needed to actually go through it.

I took a step forward, but I paused mid-step.

What if I was ambushed as soon as I walked through? I had to be careful. I couldn't be so brash. Not in my condition. Perhaps there was another way...

I shook my head, and ran a hand through my hair. What the hell is wrong with me?

I've never been 'careful' in my life. I wasn't even feeling fear right now.

I smirked, followed by a sardonic chuckle as I ran the hand down my face.

I'm hesitating. Stalling. How ridiculous. And just what exactly is the reason I'm acting like such a sentimental fool?

 _"I'll miss you, Hiei."_

The smirk fell from my lips and I growled.

Damn it. She just wouldn't stop haunting me, even from a distance.

Just why would she miss me, anyway? I've done nothing to be missed for. All I've done was bring her suffering when she had none.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

The look on her face when I had left was still fresh in my mind. Even in the dark, I had still been able to see it.

She had seemed... so torn. Why would anyone be that upset over someone else? Especially over me. It almost felt wrong to leave it like this.

I hardened my gaze, and glared at the barrier before me.

I had to steel my resolve. I couldn't stay here. I didn't want to. I already knew this.

Staying here was only supposed to be temporary. A place to heal before I returned to tear the rest of those ingrates apart for attacking me.

But I felt my determination waver slightly at the memory of her wounded expression. I tried to banish the thought from my mind, but it was proving to be difficult.

I cast a glance over my shoulder at the forest behind me. It looked so... mundane. I grimaced at it.

I can't stay here, even if I did want to. I even said so myself, I'm the one who brought those demons here. She'd just be in danger if I did.

I looked ahead, and took a step forward towards the barrier.

It was better this way. She'd forget me eventually.

I took another step, but just before I went through completely, I cast one last look behind myself.

Her energy still lingered behind me. It swirled around in the wind like smoke. It then moved closer to me, as if realizing it was noticed.

I reached out my arm, and focused on that strip of energy. It reacted, surging quickly through the air to wrap around my outstretched limb.

I stared down at my arm, watching the way her human energy, a light blue, reacted to my demonic energy. The way it coiled around me was almost playful. Like it recognized me.

I concentrated on that small bit of energy, and it seeped within me, merging itself with mine. I felt slightly warmer. A tinge of heat. Her energy was soothing. Afterwards, I flexed my hand, examining it. A faint smirk found its way to my lips.

Call it a souvenir. She wasn't using it anyway.

I turned back around completely, and, without anymore stalling, stepped through the barrier.

* * *

I walked along the dark corridors of the inside of the kingdom of Alaric. My footsteps echoed off the walls of the barren space within with every step.

I set my shoulders back, and my posture straight. My fingers coiled into fists at my sides as my gaze grew darker, impassive, more severe with every additional step.

Demons cowed before me, servants and the like. One ran to catch up to my pace to fall into step beside me, but far enough away to be out of reach.

"M-mater Hiei, Lord Mukuro requests your presence."

I gave a dismissive grunt in response. I already knew that. Why would I be here if not to see her? Unless she was just trying to piss me off with her underlings' pestering. It wouldn't surprise me.

She knew I was coming. She was aware of my presence the moment I stepped foot into her kingdom. She had probably already been waiting for me even before I had made it to the kingdom.

I continued to walk, alone when the servant scurried away after delivering his message, through some doors that I opened with a forceful shove.

It hadn't taken me long to get back here from the forest, just as I had thought it wouldn't.

I walked down another long corridor. Servants watched me warily. I had to resist the urge to give them a reason to watch me so intently. They had never been comfortable around me before, but their attention was damn near grating on my last nerve. I forced myself to ignore them.

The rest of the group that had attacked me before had been no where to be found upon my re-entering of Makai. I still wasn't sure if I was pleased with that or not. I wouldn't have minded the exercise.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't have been there, however. Of course, it had been about two months since the initial attack, but if three of them had went through the trouble of searching for me, it did make me wonder why the rest of them wouldn't. Perhaps it was because they hadn't been able to find me after I had dealt with the other three, and had moved on to other targets. It was possible that they could have split up to look, and when the three didn't report back, lost my trail. Or maybe they had simply lost interest.

Either way, I didn't see a point in dwelling on it any further. It was inconsequential now. The leader who had orchestrated the attack was gone.

It didn't take me much longer before I came upon a large set of wide doors. I pushed them open and walked inside.

And into the throne room of Mukuro's.

As I expected, she was there, perched on top of the elaborate seat with her legs crossed and her hands intertwined. She had her one good eye closed, and didn't look when I entered the room.

I walked forward, stopping when I was just a few feet away from her.

We were both silent for a long time. She sat motionless, her mouth drawn upwards into a slight smile. I stood before her without faltering.

Her eye then opened, and she trained it on me.

"Hello, Hiei. It's been a while," she said with a calm, mellow timbre.

I didn't respond to the casual greeting. She was no doubt irritated with me for my abrupt absence. I wasn't about to make idle small talk.

She wasn't affected by my silence, however, and carried on acting pleasant.

"You have the servants caught up in quite the frenzy. They're spooked."

I cast a glare over my shoulder at the entrance I came through. The servants manning the doors cowered behind them.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"If the dead just waltzed by in front of you, wouldn't you be?" I heard her say.

I redirected my glare to her. She wasn't bothered by it.

"I didn't die," I said irritably. She merely smiled.

It was then that she looked down to something to her left. She looked back up to me with that small smile still in place. It made it difficult to read her expression, but I was used to that. She was a master at concealing her intentions. Years of suffering made it easy to hide behind a fake smile.

"I have something of yours that you might want back."

I eyed her as she moved one of her hands to pick that something up from beside her throne chair. She tossed it at me.

I caught it with my right hand. The long sheath fit perfectly within my palm. My sword. It had been too long since I last had it within my grasp. I took it by the hilt and unsheathed it about an inch. Its sharp blade shone brightly, even in the dimly lit room.

I was in the process of fastening it to my side when she spoke again.

"I found it along the border to the human world."

I looked back up to her as she relaxed back into her seat. She eyed me critically for a moment. What she was looking for, I didn't know. In any case, I remained stoic to her silent evaluation. When she noticed she had my attention again, she continued.

"Care to tell me why I found it, but not you?"

She didn't seem too upset, judging by her tone. More curious than anything else. Still, I didn't want to prolong this conversation any longer than it needed to be, so I answered her question curtly, "I was attacked."

She didn't appear fazed by my answer. "Attacked? By who?"

"I don't know who they were, only that they were against the current ruling. They didn't seem affiliated with anyone," I said.

"Were?"

"They followed me. I killed them."

Mukuro looked contemplative for a moment.

"I see," she said eventually. "You killed all of them?"

"There were others, but they've scattered. Their leader was among the ones that I dealt with. They shouldn't cause anymore problems," I said. Then my gaze darkened. "If they do, I'll be there to deal with the rest of them personally."

Mukuro eyed me, but I remained unflinching. She intertwined her hands and rested them on her thigh. She looked contemplative.

"Do you think it was something more elaborate?" she asked.

I scoffed. "If it was, they were highly disorganized." I crossed my arms over my chest. "They were nothing more than fools with nothing better to do than whine."

Her smile widened. "Is that so?" she asked. "Evidently, they whine loud enough to keep you away for months."

I frowned. She merely simpered.

Her expression then changed into one more serious. "Hopefully I don't have to remind you that you were on my land when this happened."

I tensed under the heat of that stare. I had to remember who I was dealing with. Mukuro isn't one to take being antagonized lying down. And being lied to even less so.

I didn't want to fight her, but I too am not one to take shit lying down.

Her gaze softened. "I don't want to suddenly have to deal with some full scale rebellion on my doorstep, Hiei."

I remained tense, and didn't allow myself to relax. "Like I said," I started with a menacing edge. "If they show their faces again, I'll deal with them personally."

She stared at me for a short time, then gave one nod, looking satisfied. "Very well then. I'll trust that there's no further threat."

I relaxed, but only slightly. I was glad for it when she didn't carry on with her questioning on why it had taken me so long to return. My experiences with Hana weren't something I wanted to disclose. Not that I would have told Mukuro even if she had asked. The way I had spent my time during those two months was not pertinent to why I had been gone anyway.

It was no sooner than after our brief conversation had ended, that I started to vaguely make out the sound of loud shouting.

It caught me by surprise at first. I almost thought I was hearing things. But as I listened, I could tell it was definitely shouting.

I looked to Mukuro questioningly. When I did, I noticed she had lost the smile on her face, replaced with an irritated frown. She didn't speak, however, so I was left with trying to discern who it belonged to for myself. But as I tried to listen, I couldn't hear it very clearly, so I turned around to hear it better, confused.

It didn't sound like anyone in the palace, but it was quite familiar. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere far away. Like a speaker being smothered beneath a heap of other objects.

I focused on the voice in an attempt to better understand it, but my attention was broken when Mukuro spoke again.

"That man has been pestering me about your whereabouts for weeks."

I turned back to her with a quirked brow. "Who?" I asked.

She waved her hand dismissively instead of answering my question. "Go placate him."

I sneered. I don't much care for being ordered around, but I didn't question her any further.

I was about to walk out when something else was thrown at me. I grabbed it instinctively, and pulled it away to examine it. It was a black shirt.

"Do put on a shirt, will you? You're scaring the servants enough as it is."

I scoffed.

* * *

I moved quickly out of the palace and onto the grounds, pleased that I was able to run again. It felt instinctual. Right. The air of Makai invigorated my limbs, making them feel stronger, like they could move faster. It was far superior to the stifling air of the human world.

The voice I was hearing before hadn't let up in its shouting. I moved swiftly towards it.

The more I heard it, the quicker I realized exactly who it was. Especially when I got close enough to make out the words he was shouting.

"I know you can hear me, you cyclops bitch! I know you got him somewhere!"

Indeed, as soon as I heard the intonations in that particular voice, I knew. He was rather unmistakable. Though whether that uniqueness was for better or for worse, was definitely arguable.

He would tempt fate by shouting something like that.

I jumped up on a high ledge of the unlevel terrain of Makai, feeling the rocks and rubble crumble beneath the force of my landing. He was on higher ground, shouting through cupped hands he used to amplify his already obnoxiously loud voice.

I had just made it up on the same level as him when he spotted me. I could tell by the way his shouting turned into a boisterous laugh.

"Hiei!"

Yusuke.

I turned to watch as he made up the rest of the distance between him and I as he ran over to me.

When he reached me, he had a wide grin on his face, and slapped a hand down on my shoulder.

"It's about damn time I found you," he said with a sharp grin and a chuckle.

I grunted. It caused his grin to widen.

"Where the hell've you been, man? You know I've been lookin' everywhere for you, right?"

I shrugged the hand off and took a step away. "I've been here," I told him.

He took a victorious smirk onto his face and swelled out his chest. It didn't seem to bother him that I brushed him off; he just crossed his arms triumphantly. "I knew she was hiding you in there," he said. Then his expression changed, and he stared at me suspiciously. His voice grew quiet, and he leaned down to whisper, as if someone else might hear him. "You haven't become... ya know... her sex slave or something, have you?"

I felt a compulsive tick start up in my temple. I sent the man a scathing glare as I reached for my sword. Grabbing its hilt, I made a quick slash at the fool next to me, but not quick enough for him to not be able to get away easily.

He jumped backwards with that stupid grin spreading across his face again. "Chill. Just a joke, all right?" He eventually calmed his mirth into a mild smirk. "So, have you really just been here this whole time? Hadn't seen you around in so long I almost thought you died."

I didn't respond at first, and he started to chuckle. He lifted a hand to give me a rough pat on the back. One which I grudgingly tolerated.

"Should've known better though. You're one tough son of a bitch to kill."

I let out another grunt.

His posture relaxed. "So?" He asked again when I had yet to answer him. "You just kinda vanished. Nobody knew anything about where you went."

"I was in the human world," I said impassively. I watched as Yusuke's eyebrows shot up in surprise at my answer.

"The human world? Really? That doesn't sound like you. What the hell were you doing there?" He asked in confusion. He continued, more to himself than me. "Does explain why I couldn't find you though. Didn't think to check there."

I smirked. "Clearly you didn't look everywhere."

His face took on a sheepish look, and he crossed his arms. "Yeah well... I don't know. I didn't think you'd be _there_."

My smirk became more haughty. Mukuro had said that Yusuke had been pestering her for weeks. I found myself curious about the past times he had tried something like this. Mukuro would surely have done something.

He noticed my smirk, and took on a wary look.

"Tell me, Yusuke, why were you up here shouting your lungs out when you could have gone and asked Mukuro in person?" I asked.

Yusuke opened his mouth instinctively—he always did have some smart-ass comment at the ready—but this time he faltered. What ended up coming out of his mouth was more of an, "Ahh..."

"Well... I did go ask her in person... the first time," he said as he lifted his arm to scratch idly at the back of his neck. I waited for him to continue. He did, sheepishly. "And she uh... she didn't like it."

I chuckled. "Let me guess," I started mockingly. "'You cyclops bitch' didn't go over very well, did it?"

His face took on a bluish tint. "Ah... no. Not really." When I started to chuckle, he looked annoyed. "Hey man, I knew she could throw a good punch, but I didn't know it was that good." My chuckle turned into a laugh. "Hey, screw you, okay? I've never fought her before. She just... surprised me is all."

This time I let out a bark of laughter, and Yusuke sent me a glare.

"Stop turning this around on me. What the hell were you even doing in the human world anyway?" he asked disdainfully. I stopped laughing, but my toothy smirk didn't fade. He continued to glare at me, but his frown quickly lifted, and he sent me a smirk of his own. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. "Did you finally realize humans weren't all that bad and decided to go get yourself some human nookie? Mukuro gettin' a little stale, hm?"

My smirk was quick to fall into a snarl at that.

I didn't get to retort, though, because it was then another voice spoke up from behind us.

"I can, perhaps, shed a bit of light on that question."

Yusuke and I turned in time to see a man with hair far too red and eyes far too green standing a little ways ahead of us. He sauntered up to the both of us with a casual smile on his face.

As he approached, he chuckled. "Interestingly enough, you may not be too far from the truth, however crass you presented it, Yusuke."

Yusuke cocked his head to the side and stared suspiciously. There was a long pause as he seemed to be assessing the man in front of him. Eventually, he spoke.

"What'd you say about my ass?"

I sent Yusuke a skeptical look with a quirked brow before turning my attention on our intruder to question him. "What are you on about, Kurama?"

Kurama recovered from his deflated poise at Yusuke's bout of idiocy to regard me with a renewed, collected gaze.

"Yeah, what did you say?" Yusuke asked. The words then seemed to register within his mind. "Wait..." He turned to me. "Hiei, did you really get fuckin' lucky?"

I felt my irritation returning to me quickly. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked viciously.

Kurama interjected before anymore words were shared. "Not exactly. Though I did hear something quite interesting."

Yusuke raised his arms to cross them behind his head. He looked bored. "What the hell is this, show n' tell? Sorry, Kurama, I left my third grade art project back on my desk. Just say it."

Kurama chuckled. "You'd be a little less eager if you knew my source," he said to Yusuke. The ex-detective didn't appear to follow.

"What about it?" Yusuke asked with a yawn.

"A few days ago, I had a discussion with Keiko," Kurama said with calm tone. The last word triggered Yusuke's alertness.

"K-Keiko?"

"Indeed. Aside from filling me in on Hiei's whereabouts, she did have a few cross words to say about you."

Yusuke's face looked more haggard than when I had asked him about Mukuro.

"Seems it's going on two weeks now since you've been to see her," Kurama said casually. "Do you really think that's wise, Yusuke? Considering the two of you have just recently become engaged."

My eyes flitted over to Yusuke out of boredom. This conversation didn't interest me.

"Well... I..." Yusuke looked cornered. He pointed to me weakly. "I was... looking for Hiei... I thought he was... here." He looked at me almost pleadingly. I stared back.

When he didn't remove his gaze, I lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What the hell are you looking at me for?"

Yusuke recollected himself suddenly and turned on Kurama. An epiphany seemed to strike him. He glared at the red-haired man skeptically. "Wait a minute," he said with narrowed eyes. The fox stared at him, feigning confusion. "If you knew about where Hiei was for days, why didn't you come tell me?" He pointed dramatically over towards Mukuro's castle. "I nearly got my ass handed to me by freaking Mukuro. And this whole time you knew where he was?"

Kurama smiled at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Yusuke, but I had my own matters to attend to. I had only found Keiko in passing."

Yusuke's arm drooped. He sank to the ground soon after. "She's gonna fuckin' kill me," he mumbled. His dread was kind of amusing.

"But," Kurama began. "On the matter of Hiei's recreational activities, Keiko informed me that she saw him with a young woman."

My attention snapped to Kurama, and I leveled him with a fierce glare. He wasn't perturbed. Instead, he looked amused. It pissed me off.

Why did it not surprise me that Kurama would be the first to find out about my time in the human world?

His words seemed to revive Yusuke well enough. The ex-detective snapped back up with a bewildered expression.

"So Hiei really did get lucky?" he asked in amazement. "Was she human?" I glowered at the ex-detective.

"I don't know about all that. But I am inclined to believe that she was human," Kurama said. I shifted my glower to him.

"I will cut out your throat," I muttered darkly.

Kurama's collected demeanor wavered, and he chuckled nervously. Serves him right.

"What were you doing with a human girl, Hiei?"

I turned my attention to Yusuke when he spoke. He had a devious look on his face.

"Nothing that concerns you," I said.

Yusuke laughed. "Not makin' a great case for yourself."

I sent him a withering glare.

"I'm quite curious myself," Kurama started. When I redirected my glare onto him once more for having the audacity to tag team me, he held up his hands defensively. "I'm sure it's nothing so extreme as what Yusuke is suggesting."

I looked between them menacingly. One face showed great interest, the other, carefully veiled intrigue. I shoved my hands into my pockets. "If you must know, I was attacked by a group of fools with a death wish. The girl found me," I said.

Yusuke's demeanor switched from sly to somewhat surprised. "Attacked? By who?" he asked.

Kurama looked concerned. "Attacked within Mukuro's territory?"

I shrugged. "Yes. They were a group that didn't seem to favor humans very much. That's all I know," I said.

Yusuke looked confused. He turned to Kurama. "Could it be Yomi's guys?"

Kurama shook his head. "No, he wouldn't do that. Yomi may not care one way or the other about humans, but he wouldn't go against a fair ruling. He's too proud for that."

Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. He then looked to me. "Weird, but whatever. Did you take 'em out?"

"I killed the ones that followed me to the human world. I don't know what happened to the rest of them," I replied.

"They followed you to the human world?" Kurama asked with a critical look in his eyes. I nodded.

"Three. Their leader was one of them. I dealt with them."

Kurama didn't looked convinced. "Dealt with them. Did you kill all of them?"

I hesitated. It was all I needed to do for the damned fox to notice.

"You didn't," he said. A statement rather than a question.

I grumbled under my breath. "There was one. I... let him go," I said carefully. Actually admitting that aloud felt worse than when I had actually let him go. Damn it.

"Which one?" Kurama asked.

I glared at the red-haired man. He would have to ask more questions. Couldn't settle for normalcy, had to always be thinking two steps ahead of everyone else.

I looked away. "...the leader," I mumbled.

"The leader?! You let the leader of the demons that attacked you walk away? What the hell, Hiei?" Yusuke bellowed. I scowled at him.

"Something came up. All that matters is that he's dealt with. He'd be a fool to show himself around me again," I said with a snarl.

But Kurama was still not convinced. In fact, he looked more perturbed than before.

"I guess we better keep our eyes peeled for the rest of these assholes then," Yusuke said as he pumped his fist into his open palm.

I glanced from him to Kurama, who still looked grave. I growled at him.

"What?" I asked. If he had more to say about my decision, then I'd be more than happy to shut him up.

Kurama looked to me. He started to speak, but it wasn't what I expected. "Well, I didn't come here just to visit," he said. "There was something else I wanted to discuss with you both."

Yusuke stared at him in confusion. "What is it?"

My interest was mildly piqued, but I waited for the explanation with an impassive look.

Kurama nodded thoughtfully before he spoke, "A few months ago, I sensed several spikes in energy in the human world."

Yusuke was quick to become serious. "Spikes in energy? What kind of spikes?"

Kurama turned to him. "I'm not entirely sure, but there were several of them. They were large enough to be noticeable."

I eyed the fox skeptically. I didn't see the point in bringing something like that up. I didn't care about what happened in the human world. He knew that.

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked. Yusuke sent me a look, but I disregarded him.

Kurama looked deep in thought for a moment. "It might not have anything to do with you at all," he started.

I felt my patience waning underneath the cryptic nonsense Kurama was spewing.

"Get on with it," I warned. Kurama smiled.

"I'm not positive it has any connection with you, Hiei, but the flares in energy occurred around the same time of your sudden disappearance. Only a few weeks apart. Now, it could just be a coincidence, but with this news that you were attacked, I have my doubts."

Yusuke spoke up, "You think the guys that attacked Hiei are up to something?"

Kurama raised his hand to rest against his chin. "Possibly. I spoke with Koenma about the energy spikes, and he too found them abnormal."

"Is it like what Sensui did with that territory bullshit?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama shook his head. "No, they were very short, large bursts. Incidentally, there hasn't been anymore of them since the couple or so weeks after Hiei's disappearance." He then looked to me. "Hiei, did you find anything peculiar about the ones that attacked you?"

When their eyes landed on me, I shrugged. "Aside from the fact they were very intent on killing me, no, they weren't any different from any other demons."

Kurama seemed to ponder on my words. "How intent?" he asked soon after.

I scoffed, then reached down and grabbed the hem of my shirt, lifting it. The exposed flesh had a jagged scar stitched across it from one side to the other.

"I should be dead."

"Holy shit, dude. These guys weren't fuckin' around," Yusuke said, bent down to examine the scar further. He straightened himself. "You said some girl found you, right? Man, I bet she shit herself when she saw you." He laughed to himself. I didn't respond.

Kurama stood there, observing silently until he nodded. "I see. Was that all?"

I let out a grunt as I let my shirt fall back into place. "They were of the opinion that I was some 'human sympathizer,' as they put it."

"'Human sympathizer?'" Yusuke started with a chuckle. "Man, where have I heard that before? Jeez."

Kurama went silent. I looked to him curiously, but he seemed too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice.

"Kurama?" Yusuke asked. Kurama snapped out of his trance to look at him. "Got something on your mind?"

The fox demon seemed to take a minute to consider everything a moment longer before he spoke. "Well, while I'd like to think these were just random, coincidental occurrences, the attack... it seems... too personal."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the red-haired man in front of me. "And what does that mean?" I asked impatiently.

Kurama looked to me. "It's odd," he said. "You've been in the Makai for several years now, only traveling to the human world perhaps a handful of times. You've never shown any interest in humans in that time, and you're quite the well-known figure due to your allegiance to Mukuro." I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but I didn't interrupt him. "But these demons, they called you a 'human sympathizer.'"

"What's your point?" I asked when he paused.

"My point is," Kurama said, picking up where he left off. "These demons must have known you, or known of you, before the four years you've spent here. Perhaps when you were confined to the human world?" He sounded more like he was just voicing his thoughts instead of attempting to hold the conversation. "If they wanted to go for a 'human sympathizer,' Yusuke and I are just as known as you are, and are far more known to make frequent visits to the human world. Why wouldn't they have tried to strike at either of us? Or perhaps even Enki, the one who put the law of keeping humans safe in place?"

I furrowed my brow in confusion. He had a fair point. That was something I hadn't given much thought to.

"You and me weren't here at the time though. Maybe Hiei was just the closest target?" I looked over to Yusuke when he spoke. He too seemed to be in deep thought.

Kurama looked to him. "That's definitely a possibility." Then he turned to address us both. "But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, lest we get too caught up in mere conjecture. This is all just speculation, of course."

Yusuke nodded his agreement to that, but I stayed silent for a moment.

Then I began to smirk. When I started to chuckle, it caught the attention of the other two.

"Got something to share with the rest of the class, Hiei?" Yusuke asked. I turned my smirk on him.

"Whatever the case may be, it doesn't matter," I started with a malicious edge to my tone. When they both sent me confused looks, I continued. "They picked the wrong 'closest target.' If I see any of them again, they'll be begging for a quick death."

Kurama recovered from his confusion to chuckle. "By all means," he said. "I'll be sure to keep you informed on the state of the human world in the case anymore spikes in energy occur." I frowned at that.

"Fine," I replied sourly. I suppose it was necessary. At least if it had any connection to those idiots.

"Well all right then." Both Kurama and I turned to look at Yusuke when he spoke. He stretched his arms over his head before letting them fall to his sides. "If I see any weird shit happening, I'll let you guys know."

Kurama nodded as he said, "Then let us stay vigilant, for now." This time, I grunted in agreement.

With that, we all went our separate ways.

* * *

A/N:

Ah, I'm late. Horribly so this time. I'm sorry about that guys! Chapters will be a little slower for a time. I'm in this calc summer class that's going to kick my ass for the next month. Such is life.

But anyway! Here I am with another chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I love you guys.


	10. Chapter 10

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA... Don't sneak up on me like that._

* * *

I pushed a sleeping human through the barrier along the border of Alaric with a forceful shove. He flopped through the tear in dimensions, and I watched in disdain with a dry grimace until he was completely out of sight. When the deed was done, I let out a sigh.

How long had I been doing this menial task now? Five years?

"That's the last of them, my lord."

I looked past my shoulder to stare at one of the servants of Alaric that was standing behind me. He trembled, and gave an awkward laugh at my cold stare.

"Shall I inform lord Mukuro that we're finished here?"

My stare narrowed. It caused the demon behind me to tense.

Eventually I looked away, up to a branch of a tall tree.

"Do what you want," I told him before jumping up to it.

I didn't have to look down to know the demon I had left on the ground was relieved by my absence. I sat down on the branch, raising a knee to rest my arm along it as I leaned my head back against the thick trunk of one of Alaric's many trees.

"I will take my leave then, my lord," I heard the demon say. I gave no response.

Three weeks. Three weeks it's been since my return to Makai. Since then, nothing has happened.

I hadn't seen any of the demons that had attacked me several months ago. They hadn't shown themselves since three of them had found me in the forest of the human world. Nothing has changed.

I took in a deep breath as I closed my eyes.

Three weeks. It felt more like months.

Border patrolling had never been something that particularly piqued my interest, but I had never detested it this much.

I was bored.

I exhaled slowly, and allowed my thoughts to wander.

I hadn't heard from Kurama or Yusuke since my return. It appears it was mere coincidence that the spikes in energy in the human world Kurama had mentioned and the attacks against me were close in time. I had expected as much. Why would demons that despised humans so much have anything to do with the human world?

I shifted on the branch.

I almost wished there was some relation. If for nothing other than a moment of entertainment.

I let out a sigh.

Everything seemed so dull to me since my return to the demon world. I wasn't sure why.

I tried not to dwell on it that often throughout the three weeks I had been back. I had mostly occupied my time with patrols, and sleeping whenever that wasn't an option.

I hadn't bothered with keeping up with anything else in the demon world. The tension between the kingdoms and Enki had never interested me much, but they interested me even less so now.

I had considered looking for a fight several times before, but the idea never held my attention for long. There was hardly anyone worth fighting anyway.

Lifting my arms, I placed them behind my head, adjusting farther down on the trunk.

It was quiet now that Mukuro's servant was no longer around. There was no noise other than the sound of my own blood pumping in my ears. There wasn't even a breeze to rustle the leaves of the trees. I couldn't even entertain myself with listening to how many times the demon's weak heart would pound against his ribcage every time I so much as glanced at him.

It just all seemed so dull.

I opened my eyes and trained them up at the blistered, reddened sky.

Three weeks, huh?

Is that really all it's been?

I looked away to stare off into the hazy distance.

I wondered how Yukina was faring. It'd been a while since I'd seen her. I suppose I could check on her. Make sure no human fools were giving her trouble.

Though after some consideration, I was quick to shake the thought from my mind.

While it might be true that I hadn't seen her for some time, to see her, I'd need to travel to Genkai's temple. I didn't have the patience to deal with that old woman, nor anyone else that might be there. I respected Genkai well enough, but her gall could grate on my nerves at the best of times. But Genkai wasn't even the reason I was deterred.

Kuwabara would no doubt be present. Patience wouldn't even begin to help me deal with him.

I let out a dry sigh. I guess I had no choice. I'd just have to deal with the boredom.

As time continued to pass, I thought idly of the ways I used to waste away the time. Killing demons. Training. Sleeping. Killing more demons. Maybe I should sleep. If it just wasn't so damn quiet.

The thought gave rise to a voice in my mind. A memory. I could hear it clearly.

* * *

 _I laid out on my back, wet grass clinging to my damp skin. I breathed in lungfuls of air greedily as I spread my arms out at my sides._

 _Another bout of training had left me exhausted. My skin felt tight around my abused muscles, and every one of them ached. After a fit of coughing, I glared up at the too-blue sky._

 _If this was_ still _all I could manage, I might as well pitch a tent and call this forest my new home._

 _My limbs still felt like lead. I might have broken some bones. I let out a growl in my frustration._

" _Hiei?"_

Her _voice startled me. I nearly choked on the next breath I sucked in. I was quick to send her a feeble glare. Damn this useless body of mine._

 _Her soft footsteps padded their way over to me. I didn't even have the strength to turn my head when I heard her set the bucket on the ground against the crunching leaves. I heard her sit not too long after. I growled at her._

 _I was in no mood to deal with her. I already had to deal with my own shortcomings right now, I didn't want to have to subject myself to her presence too. I didn't want her bandages, I didn't want her salve, I didn't want her_ _ **help**_ _._

" _Go. Away," I hissed through clenched teeth._

 _The blind woman didn't listen to my demand, much to my already high vexation._

 _She was silent for a time, but knowing she was there set me on edge. Then she spoke._

" _You've injured yourself again, haven't you?"_

 _I growled loudly. I didn't feel like being reminded of my uselessness. I heard her sigh._

" _I don't understand why you won't just let yourself heal. You're just making it worse."_

 _I let out another agitated snarl._

 _Yes, and_ I _didn't understand why she insisted on being the most annoying pest she could be._

 _She sighed again. I could hear the exaggerated breath as she shifted her way closer._

" _Be still," she said to me. "I'll try to see what I can do to ease your pain."_

 _As soon as I saw her hands coming close to my torso, I managed enough strength to lash out at her._

" _ **Don't touch me**_ _," I snarled. The woman jerked her hands back in shock at my vicious demand. I set my furious stare on her startled face. "I don't want your help_ _ **. Leave me be.**_ _"_

 _I watched as her expression changed from startled, to her own brand of indignant irritation. She set her lips in a thin line, and didn't say another word._

 _I grunted as I lowered my arm back to the ground._

 _The next few moments were filled with nothing but the sounds of my own labored breathing and pained grunts. She hadn't moved away from me even after my outburst. Her sitting there as she listened to the consequences of my previous actions infuriated me even more. She just wanted something to rub in my face. Wanted to sit there and wait until I couldn't take the pain anymore and gave in._

 _I was about to yell at her again, the scathing words on the tip of my tongue, but a noise stopped me. I blinked once, and looked over to her once more._

 _She was making the most shrill noise. I recognized it as the whistling she had done before. Its piercing whine assaulted my eardrums._

" _You take pride in being a nuisance, don't you?" I asked with derision._

 _She didn't answer me, but the whistling did soften at my remark. It lowered to a quiet trill._

 _It carried a tune, and as I lay there, immobile, I listened to it. Pretty soon, I picked up on its patterns._

 _I'm not sure how long we stayed there like that, me laid out in the grass with her sitting beside me, whistling. I had set my stare on the clouds, just listening._

 _That tune followed me to my dreams. I hadn't even realized when my eyes had closed, but I hadn't fought it._

* * *

I opened my eyes.

When I did, I realized that tune had followed me from my memory.

But it sounded decidedly different. I was quick to notice that it was I who had begun to carry it in my absentminded state.

Abruptly, I stopped.

It was hard to keep myself from feeling foolish.

"Ridiculous…"

I stood up from the branch and jumped off it.

* * *

It wasn't long before I was standing at the base of the stairs that led up to the temple of the old human psychic's. I don't know what possessed me to come here. I still didn't want to deal with these people any more than I did before, but I let my legs carry me up the stairs regardless. I had nothing else to do.

At the top of the steps, I could hear voices. It seemed to be the start of some conversation. Their loudness echoed through the trees.

"I _knew_ I'd find you here."

"Oh, heh. Hey, Keiko…"

"Don't you _dare_ 'hey, Keiko' me. Where the heck have you been _this_ time?"

It seemed I had made it just in time to hear another one of Yusuke's infamous fights with his woman. Lucky me.

"Wait! Keiko! Now, don't look at me like that! I… have a really good excuse this time, okay?!"

There was a loud stomping of feet.

"I don't want to hear it. Do you even know how important today is?"

There was a pause.

"Uhm… well… It _is_ Thursday, and we do have that discount on miso soup at the shop on Thursdays-"

The furious howl that followed that senseless gibberish could have even rivaled my own.

" _Yusuke_ , you _**jerk**_ _!_ First you leave for weeks to find Hiei, and now you don't even have the decency to remember our anniversary?"

I could already feel the ache in my temple.

"Oh yeah! Now I remember! Ya see, the only reason I didn't before was because-"

"I'm so _tired_ of listening to your excuses!"

"Yeah, well, this one could really be serious this time!"

The girl didn't seem to share the same sentiment, for she let out another vicious snarl.

"Gosh, Urameshi, you'd think you'd learn one of these days."

That voice.

Great. So, the oaf _was_ here.

"Shut up, Kuwabara! Whose side are you on, anyway?"

It wasn't that I despised Kuwabara terribly. Not that I would admit to not completely hating him aloud. I simply didn't want to stand here and listen to them scream.

Still, I may not completely hate Kuwabara, but I barely tolerated him. His honor code would see to it that Yukina was safe. For that, I offered a minute amount of respect.

"Definitely not yours. Why would I wanna be on the losing team?"

" _Watch it._ "

But that tolerance didn't extend too much past that.

I got close enough to see them. They were all standing outside the temple. I caught sight of red, and noticed Kurama was among them. He was staring on at the squabble through apprehensively sympathetic eyes. Genkai wasn't there. She was no doubt inside, closing herself off from the noise. I didn't blame her. Yusuke was standing some ways in front of Kurama, looking askance at the brown-haired human woman who was glaring at him fiercely. Kuwabara was standing off to the side with a grin.

I continued to scan the area until my eyes caught sight of the real reason I had bothered coming here.

Yukina was standing next to Kuwabara. She had a smile on her face, and her arms folded behind her. She looked content.

"Don't turn this on him, Yusuke," the brown-haired woman said menacingly. Yusuke turned back to her with a sheepish look on his face.

Kuwabara took a step forward. "You should stand back, Yukina. You can stand behind me if you want," he said. I saw Yukina look to him in confusion. Seeing her face put me at ease.

"Why, Kazuma?"

Kuwabara grinned; the wide kind he always reserved for whenever he had something particularly stupid to say.

"Because Urameshi's about to get his face pounded into the ground, and I don't want you to get hurt, my love."

"Oh."

I placed my hands inside the pockets of my black pants. The sight of her smile was all I needed to see.

"C'mon, Keiko, cut me some slack, okay? Just let me explain! And uh… did I mention how good you look in that dress? Is that new?" Yusuke asked.

"Seriously, Urameshi? That's how you're planning on getting out of this?" Kuwabara responded.

"Hey, shut up. It was worth a shot."

"Tch, serves you right to get beaten up."

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Kuwabara!"

" _Ugh, Yusuke!_ You're incorrigible!" the human woman screeched.

With that, I turned around, fully intent on heading back to the demon world.

I heard Kurama's voice from behind me, placating and somewhat meek, "Perhaps we could try to resolve this matter civilly. I can personally attest to the potential severity of this possible threat. We've been trying-"

The woman was quick to cut into his speech, "With all due respect, Kurama, this doesn't involve you, though I appreciate you trying to explain." The venom in her voice was impressive for a mere human.

"Ah, yes, of course. Eh heh, forgive me."

I had approached the steps, intent to descend the first one.

" _Hey! Hiei!"_

That is, until I heard my name shouted from the top of the ex-detective's lungs.

I stopped short of taking the first step. An irritated grimace was already forming on my lips.

Why did I come here?

I didn't bother trying to escape at that point. The lord of Tourin was already in front of me. He had that cocky grin etched onto his face. The kind he plastered on whenever he realized he knew something his enemy didn't. I sent him a bored stare in return.

"Hey, man. Didn't expect to see you again so soon," the man before me said. I didn't answer him. I merely let out a grunt.

It didn't take long before the others caught up to us. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by them.

"Whoa, Hiei. Why're you here? Lose a bet with Mukuro or somethin'?" the fool asked.

I sent Kuwabara a scathing look as I said to him, "Hold your tongue, lest I carve it out."

He didn't heed my demand. He simply grinned, and chuckled in that idiotic way of his.

"Well, this is perfect! Great timing, by the way," Yusuke interrupted with a cocky chuckle. "The gang's all here. Now we can talk about the serious stuff."

When the human woman sent him a dark glare, Yusuke quickly turned away from her.

"I have to admit, I am surprised to see you here as well, Hiei," Kurama spoke, drawing my eyes to him. He had a pleasant look on his face. "Considering your prolonged stay in the human world before, I would have thought you would've avoided it for quite some time."

I heard a chuckle from in front of me, followed closely by the ex-detective saying, "oh yeah, you were playin' hooky from Alaric a few weeks ago to hang out in the human world. I almost forgot about that."

When I looked at him with a sour expression, I could see in his eyes that he hadn't forgotten at all. He merely wanted to transfer the heat.

"Get out of my way," I muttered at him. Yusuke's grin widened.

"Wait, wait, wait, what did you just say, Urameshi?"

The ache in my temple was reaching critical mass.

Yusuke's woman sent him a withering glower. "You're not getting out of this, Yusuke. Don't think for a second I don't see what you're trying to do," she said. Yusuke's grin faltered slightly. I allowed myself to smirk at it.

"I didn't know you had been in the human world, Hiei. I would have liked it if you had visited. Kazuma and the others don't get to see you very often."

My own smirk faltered at hearing Yukina's soft voice. I glanced at her briefly before quickly directing my attention elsewhere.

"Wait… hold on, can somebody explain this to me? Was Hiei _really_ taking a vacation in the human world?" Kuwabara asked. When I looked over to him, I noticed he had his arms crossed as he sent glares to both Yusuke and Kurama. "Am I the only one who doesn't know about this? Are you guys leaving me out of the loop _again?"_

"Shut up, Kuwabara. Nobody's leaving you out of anything. We were busy," Yusuke quipped.

"Busy with _what_?" his woman asked crossly. Yusuke chuckled meekly.

"You mean that time when Hiei was missing for those two months before, he was in the human world all that time?" Kuwabara asked in shock. I inwardly sighed. The shocked question was followed quickly by, "why didn't anybody tell me?!"

"Like I said, we were busy," Yusuke continued. Kuwabara looked as if he wanted to retort, but before he could, Yusuke went on. "I told you about it before, doofus. Those flares of energy here in the human world? You felt them too, right?"

Kuwabara settled down. "Yeah, I remember. That happened a few months ago. Did you guys ever find out what was up with that?"

It was Kurama who answered. "Unfortunately, no, we did not. We've been here, investigating. Though, nothing has yet to come up."

Kuwabara still didn't look placated, if the glare on his face was any indication. "You guys shoulda told me. If anything happened here in the human world, _I_ woulda sensed it. I'm the guy with the sixth sense, remember?"

"Well that's what we were tryin' to do! But nobody was listenin' to me," Yusuke grouched.

Kurama smiled at the buffoon like the clever fox he was. "It's not that we doubted your ability, Kuwabara, but you were in the middle of preparing for your mid-term exams. We couldn't very well bother you with a pretense."

Kuwabara looked slightly sheepish after Kurama's explanation.

"But hey! Enough about that. Kuwabara!" Yusuke exclaimed, edging past me to the oaf. "Did you know that Hiei was hittin' it off with some girl while he was here? A _human_ girl?"

I swiftly turned to him to send him a heated glare, one that bounced right off his arrogant sneer.

Kuwabara looked stupidly shocked. It lasted a good few seconds before he recovered to wrap his arm around Yusuke's neck.

"Shut up, Urameshi! This is no time for your stupid jokes. This could be serious!"

"I'm not… joking!" Yusuke managed between grunts. He freed himself from Kuwabara's grip to return the headlock in full. "Why would I lie about something _this_ good?" Kuwabara struggled against the hold on him, and Yusuke let him go. He turned to his woman, and when he did, his wicked sneer softened into a smile. "Besides, my source is top notch. Keiko's the one who saw it."

The human woman didn't return the smile. She merely eyed him critically. After a moment, she turned away from him as she said, "I had something else I wanted to tell you, but since this is so serious, I'll tell you later. I don't want to get in your way." With that, she stormed off.

Yusuke fumbled after her. "Wait, Keiko! Hey, don't be like that… H-hey, where are you going?"

She didn't turn to face him when she answered. "I'm going inside. I want to say goodbye to Genkai before I leave."

As she left, Yusuke sighed heavily before slumping forward in defeat.

"Keiko seems very upset. I hope she'll be all right." I looked over to Yukina when she spoke. She held a worried look in her expression. She always was the one to fret over the problems of another.

"Keiko'll be okay. She's tough. She has to be to put up with Urameshi's crap all the time," Kuwabara said as he placed his hand on Yukina's shoulder. Yukina seemed to take comfort in the gesture, for she looked up to the man with a smile. I was glad for it.

"I heard that…" Yusuke muttered from where he was slouched on the ground. An awfully pathetic sight for one as capable as Yusuke, if you ask me.

"In any case," Kurama began, interrupting what could very well have been another ridiculous quarrel. "As of right now, there have been no other disturbances in the energy of the human world. I'm still not satisfied to say with any amount of certainty that the attack on Hiei and the surges of human energy are unrelated, however. It hasn't been long enough to properly ascertain that."

Kuwabara didn't seem to have been paying attention to any of what Kurama had just said. Instead, his face went contemplative. I could tell by the way he looked like he was having a hard time. "So… are you guys actually telling the truth when you say Hiei was with a _girl_?"

I scoffed. Idiot.

Yusuke seemed to perk up at the mention of me. He sauntered over to us with a leer.

"Ye~ah, what's her name, Hiei? I don't think you ever told us."

I felt irritation make my muscles go tense. I did little to hide it when I responded to his question with a snide, "Piss off."

Yusuke snickered. Kuwabara dropped his jaw.

"You mean Hiei found a human girl he likes and the world _hasn't_ ended yet?!" Kuwabara shouted urgently, just as soon as he picked his mouth up off the ground. "What kind of girl would go for Hiei?!"

"Clearly the ones who are into the whole homicidal maniac routine," Yusuke retorted.

I wanted to punch them both.

"Man, she must be really nasty, and ugly too," Kuwabara quipped. My hand reflexively went to the hilt of my sword.

"I _will_ kill you."

Yusuke walked over to me. When he was close enough, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I growled at him.

"Lighten up, Hiei. I'm sure she's not that bad."

When my heated glowers weren't enough to shut them up, I turned my grimace on Kurama. The man just stood there, smiling. I wanted to punch him too.

"I think it's great that you've found someone you like, Hiei. I'm happy for you."

My dismayed stare caught Yukina's happy one. I felt my brow twitch. Yusuke shook me roughly by the shoulders.

"Yeah, we should be happy for Hiei. Maybe it's true love." As soon as the words left his mouth, his face went red with mirth.

Kuwabara recovered from his shock to share in Yusuke's amusement.

"Yeah," the fool said, but paused to consider something. "Man, can you imagine what Hiei's kids would look like?" His face paled. "A bunch of dragon babies… eugh, gross."

I clenched my fists as I gritted my teeth, and sent them a glare fierce enough to make Hell look cold.

"You people really want to die, don't you?" I growled out.

Neither of them paid any mind to my threat. Yusuke released me so he could go over and cackle with Kuwabara. They sounded like a pack of jackals.

With an irritated grunt, I turned away from them. I shouldn't have bothered coming here. I had already known Yukina was fine. This was a waste of my time.

"Ah, Hiei," I heard from behind, but I didn't turn around. Kurama moved fast to catch up with me. He placed his hand on my shoulder when I didn't stop. I shrugged it off, but I did stop on the second step.

"What do _you_ want?" I asked. My tone acerbic.

Kurama, at least, was smarter than those idiots. He knew when to give me my space. He stood atop the first step, off to the side with his arms planted at his sides.

"I haven't been to the demon world since your return. I wanted to ask if you'd noticed anything since then. Have any of the demons that assaulted you shown themselves?"

I let out a humph. "No."

Kurama nodded. "I see. In that case, would you keep me posted on if you do? Yusuke and I are going to remain here. Having eyes in the demon world would certainly be advantageous to us."

I scoffed dismissively at the request.

"Do it yourself," I said easily. With that, I continued my trek back down the series of stairs.

I had no intention of helping them with this ghost of a threat. It was their world to look after. Not mine. I would have thought they'd have learned this by now.

"Hiei," I heard him say. His tone suggested he was displeased, but he had no intention of forcing the issue. "This could very well involve you. Aren't you, at the very least, curious? To know why they attacked you?"

I spared him a glance, but nothing more.

"Not really," I replied.

"They nearly killed you, Hiei."

I smirked, stopping a few steps down to look over my shoulder.

"Not the first time I've nearly been killed."

Kurama frowned.

He looked as if he wanted to say more, perhaps try to persuade me into seeing his side, but he didn't get the chance to.

There was suddenly a large surge of energy. I sensed it before I saw it, but when I did I noticed a large beam of light shoot upward into the sky to part the clouds. It wasn't very far from our location. The intensity of it was enough to shake the ground.

I steadied myself on the fourth step, holding my arms out for balance, surprised.

The light soon dissipated, and with it, the shaking.

I stood back up straight, eyes narrowed, as I trained my gaze on where the spike in energy had come from.

"Okay, now what the hell was that?" Yusuke's voice broke the silence that had fallen over us.

Kurama was the next to speak. "We should investigate, but be cautious. That was an immense amount of spirit energy."

"All right…" Yusuke started. He walked slowly down to me, stopping beside me to stare where my gaze was fixed. "Ladies first."

"Uh… guys?" Everyone's eyes focused on Kuwabara, who had a bluish-tint to his face. He had his arms crossed as he shivered. "I think there's something comin' this way."

We all looked in unison when a sound could be heard. The sound of quick footsteps.

In the distance, something was indeed heading our way. Its movements were uncoordinated and janky, quick and desperate.

I looked behind me, at Yukina. "Stay back."

She looked worried, and when I spoke to her, she startled. She was quick to recover, and nodded resolutely, taking a few steps back.

There was the sound of a paper door sliding open behind us.

"Yusuke, what's going on? What was that?"

I saw Yusuke whirl around.

"Stay inside, Keiko."

Another voice came, an older one. "Just what the hell are you people doing out here?" It was the voice of Genkai. She stepped outside, and moved to stand next to Yusuke.

"Hell if I know," was Yusuke's retort, as we both moved our eyes back on their target. "Why don't you ask him?"

Genkai let out grunt beside him as she looked on.

We all watched with apprehension as the thing moved closer to us. The tension around us was thick.

"Odd," Kurama started. His eyes were narrowed critically, his fists clenched at his sides and his posture straight.

Yusuke spared him a glance. "What do you mean, 'odd?'"

Kuwabara took a step forward. I could hear his unsteady breathing behind me.

"It's… it's weird, Urameshi…" I heard him say. I glanced at Kuwabara, wondering myself what they seemed to know that the rest of us didn't.

"What's weird?" Yusuke asked again, with more irritation this time.

Kuwabara went on, "It's… it's like he's… not there. I don't feel anything from him."

I looked back to the thing that was running towards us. I tried to focus on it, but realized I couldn't. It had no spirit energy. Not even a tendril.

Genkai let out a grunt of acknowledgement.

As the thing got closer, we all braced ourselves. I reached for the hilt of my sword, preparing to swing as soon as it reached us.

It neared, and as it did, I could hear it let out a series of pained groans and grunts.

I unsheathed my sword and took a step forward, but before I could take the first swing, the thing fell over on its face. It fell against the stairs, letting out one last pitiful grunt before it ceased to move.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yusuke lowering his hands. Kurama likewise lowered his hand from his hair.

We all waited several minutes. Several minutes of silence, save for the pathetic whimpers Kuwabara was making, until finally someone spoke.

"That was a bit anti-climactic," Yusuke muttered.

I heard Genkai let out a snort and a muttered, "dimwit," before she stepped forward and toward the thing on the stairs.

Kurama was the second to move, followed closely by Yusuke and myself.

As we approached, Kurama knelt cautiously beside it, carefully examining the body. He moved his hands diligently, before resting two fingers along the creature's neck.

It looked like a demon. One that had been mauled before finding its way to us. Its clothes looked worn, as if they'd been damaged by prolonged exposure to the elements. A lot of its features were damaged. It seemed he had been in some kind of fight, and lost.

Kurama removed his fingers and looked to all of us severely.

"He's dead."

Yusuke and Genkai had taken on twin looks of seriousness. I looked away from the scene to stare at where that beacon of light had come from. I raised my hand, and took off the bandage covering the Jagan. I focused on that spot, and allowed it to see.

There was nothing around. All the energy I sensed were the feeble ones of the forest's inhabitants. Perhaps whatever caused it had already fled?

The whimpers of Kuwabara had all of us looking over. Yukina had walked over to him, and was looking up worriedly with one had placed on his arm.

"G-g- _ghosts_! I can feel it…" Kuwabara stammered.

"Ghosts?" Kurama mumbled.

Yukina grabbed hold of Kuwabara's arm to garner his attention. "Kazuma, you should sit down."

Genkai let out a humph. "Whatever it is, or whatever it was, it's no threat to us now."

"Indeed," Kurama began. He stood up from the steps to look at us all. "We should take a moment to regain ourselves. Perhaps Koenma may know something about this."

Yusuke's face transformed from pensive, to irritated. He stalked up the steps and over to Kuwabara.

"What are you talkin' about, Kuwabara?" Yusuke questioned. He grabbed Kuwabara by the front of the shirt to shake him.

Kuwabara was quick to shove him off with a growl. "I don't know, Urameshi! I sensed what I sensed, okay? There was somethin' weird about that guy."

I ignored them in favor of taking another look at our intruder. He was lying down flat on his stomach. There weren't any other noticeable features about him. He was just a demon. Nothing special.

With the tip of my boot, I wedged it underneath the demon's torso to flip him over.

As he flopped over, the first thing I noticed was that his chest was bloody. It seemed as if he had sustained more recent injuries here than the ones that were on his face and back.

Kurama watched me do this warily. He too examined the body, and when he noticed the bloodied shirt, his eyes narrowed.

He crouched back down next to the demon. Carefully, he reached for the shirt, and gingerly moved it away.

I heard Genkai let out a startled, "Hm?"

As he moved away the shirt, on his chest was a deep wound. But that wasn't the abnormal part.

There was writing on his chest, gouged into his flesh in long, deep strokes. The source of the bleeding. On it, it read,

"A gift," Kurama muttered. His eyes quickly scanned the infected area. "The edges of these wounds look jagged. A weapon with a serrated edge made these."

Yusuke and Kuwabara stopped fighting, and turned to look over at us gravely.

Kurama stood up. "Based on the freshness of his chest wound in comparison to his others, these injuries were inflicted at different times. Also, there's no uniformity to them and the wound on his chest. This leads me to think these were inflicted by two different weapons." Kurama paused to look around at the blank faces around him. "Judging by the haphazard strokes, I assume there wasn't any personal connection between this demon and whoever sent him to us. The poor treatment he has suffered suggests his attacker cared very little for him. Perhaps indiscriminately chosen?" He sounded as if he was talking more to himself than the rest of us.

Genkai responded to the news with a humph. "Yes, well, whoever did this clearly wanted to get our attention."

Kurama seemed to be in his own world now. His eyes were distance, fixated as they were on the corpse splayed out along the stairs. "Something about this is strange," he muttered, cryptic as always.

The old woman looked to him. "What do you mean?"

Kurama's eyes never strayed from the demon, but he answered with, "the smell. He reeks of death."

Yusuke walked back over to us slowly. He stopped just in front of the demon, and looked down at it. "Well duh. He _is_ a corpse. Isn't that what corpses are supposed to smell like?"

The fox looked troubled. "Not… to this extent. The smell of decay suggests he's been dead long before now."

Yusuke eyed the demon on the stairs, tilting his head at an angle to examine him.

"'A gift,' huh?" he muttered. He took his arms and stretched them above his head. "That settles it then. This is definitely personal."

I was, unfortunately, inclined to agree.

If something like this was to happen around here, around Yukina, I would not stand for it. If they wanted a fight, so be it. I wouldn't hesitate.

The wind picked up. It pushed against me, and I glanced over at the sound of a light swishing.

Everyone else looked over as well, just in time to see a familiar, blue-haired reaper woman riding towards us on her wooden oar. Her voice was the first thing I heard before she had even made it to the ground.

"Yusuke! Oh! I'm so glad I found you all!"

She landed next to the ex-detective, who still held a pensive expression on his face. The oar disappeared, and she used her free hands to grab Yusuke by the shoulders.

"Yusuke! I have something incredibly important to tell you! We need your help, it's urgent!"

I crossed my arms and scoffed. Everyone else likewise didn't immediately jump at the apparent urgency of her request.

Yusuke closed his eyes for a brief moment—perhaps fighting for patience—before opening them to level the blue-haired woman with a serious look.

Koenma's assistant became confused. She blinked several times before letting him go and taking a hesitant step away from the ex-detective.

Yusuke lifted a hand to scratch idly at his cheek. "Well damn, don't we all have our problems." There was a lack of seriousness in his tone, but I knew Yusuke well enough to know when he was deflecting.

His response did little to alleviate the confusion on the reaper woman's face.

"Huh?"

She looked around at the rest of us, looking from Kurama, to Genkai, very briefly to me, to Kuwabara, then back to Yusuke.

"Um, is something the matter?" she asked.

Yusuke ran a hand through his hair. "You could say that."

With that, he stepped out of the way to reveal the corpse lying on the ground. As soon as her shocked eyes landed on it, she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Oh dear! What on earth?!" she exclaimed. She walked cautiously and slowly towards the creature, and examined it. She moved back quickly with a shudder. "Well I suppose I don't need to ask whether or not he's okay…"

"As you can see…" Kurama began, taking a step around the demon. "We have a bit of a situation on our own hands."

The woman recovered from her surprise, and quickly spun around to face the fox.

"Before he showed up, was there another burst of spirit energy? A large burst."

I quirked an eyebrow at the reaper. Everyone else seemed just as surprised.

"Botan, how did you know that?" Kuwabara asked from where Yukina had managed to get him to sit on the ground.

The woman turned to answer him. "Lord Koenma has some information that you all may want to hear. I came here to tell you all that he'll be coming here shortly. He'll explain the situation."

Genkai scoffed. She walked past the rest of us back towards her temple. We all watched her go.

"I'm too old for this, but if we're going to talk, we might as well do it inside." The old psychic had her hands folded behind her back as she walked to the door to slide it open. "Come in when you're ready," she said over her shoulder before she walked inside and slid the door shut behind her.

With Genkai's exit, the reaper woman looked at the rest of us expectantly. Yusuke shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'll listen to the toddler. I'm already pissed off."

Kuwabara was quick to scramble up off the ground. "Count me in, I wanna know what's going on. Besides," he trailed off. He cast a glance at Yukina before quickly looking away, and held up a fist in determination. "If they're gonna put Yukina in danger, then I, Kazuma Kuwabara, will have to personally see to it that they're punished."

Yusuke laughed. "Oh yeah, you sure showed them. The way you pissed your pants five minutes ago? Very threatening."

" _Shut up, Urameshi!"_

Yukina stood up from where she had knelt on the ground. She smiled at Kuwabara as she said, "I don't know how much good I can do, but I will help in whatever way I can, of course." The reaper turned to her with what I can only describe as stars in her eyes.

Kurama chuckled. He seemed more relaxed now that the excitement was over. "I would also like to know more about these occurrences. If Koenma has figured something out, then I will gladly hear it."

The blue-haired woman clapped her hands together in delight. "Great! I knew I could count on you guys!"

After a prolonged moment, I suddenly became the subject of interest of everyone standing in front of the temple. It gave me an almost insatiable, phantom itch. When their staring persisted, I glared.

"What?" I demanded.

"Will you be joining us, Hiei?" Kurama asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. He wasn't bothered by it.

I turned away from them with a scoff.

"I still don't care," I said after a moment, much to the chagrin of everyone behind me. I could hear it in their frustrated sighs. I looked to them sharply. "But I care for arrogant fools even less."

When my statement sunk in, their collective relief was noticeable. Yusuke plastered a grin on his face and laughed, along with Kuwabara. " _All right!_ We're back in business to kick some ass, boys."

The blue-haired reaper cheered beside them, along with Yukina, who kept her excitement at a more reserved level. Kurama looked to me with a smile.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," he said to me, away from the nonsense the others were spewing.

I let out a humph.

"I don't like being threatened."

Kurama gave a nod.

I spared him one more glance before looking back towards where the energy had come from, past the tops of the trees that surrounded Genkai's temple.

I guess that settled it. I'd be dealing with more problems in the human world. As if being subjected to it for months wasn't enough.

At least I wasn't bored.

* * *

AN:

Whoa! Hi! Hello! Yes, I'm alive! Yay!

My story is a little over a year old now. Like wow. I'm so surprised and impressed at my own dedication. But, then again, Yu Yu Hakusho has always been, and will always be, my one true love. Don't think I'll ever love another series quite so much.

So yeah! I'm back! And I hope to crank out a few updates before my workload at school suffocates me. Wish me luck!

On another note, I've been editing my previous chapters a crap ton, and I noticed that I overuse so many words. Particularly the word, 'then.' It reminds me of the kinds of things little kids say when they're trying to tell a story. Something like, 'SO THIS HAPPENED, AND THEN THIS HAPPENED, AND THEN THIS HAPPENED, AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN.'

Like ugh. Let me know what your biggest pet peeve about your writing is. Just so maybe I won't feel so alone. QQ

And as always, thank you all so much for the support of this story. All the favorites, and follows, and reviews. It means so much to me.


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